Photo courtesy PID
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to former senator Faisal Vawda, with its Sindh president saying his membership in the party will remain suspended until he can justify issuing statements in violation of party policy.
“You have grossly violated discipline by giving statements against party policies and guidelines,” read the show-cause notice, which was shared on social media by PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi. “This is in serious violation of party rules as per constitution therefore you are required to submit a reply within 2 days of this notice stating why your party membership should not be cancelled,” it continued, adding that his party membership was suspended in the meanwhile and he was barred from holding any party office or representing it in media.
On Wednesday night, Vawda had addressed a press conference in which he had warned that that PTI’s upcoming long march would lead to “bloodshed” and funerals. “These funerals will definitely be held, but I will try until my dying breath to save my Pakistanis from sacrificing their lives for a conspiracy hatched by some people,” he said. “I will try to end this politics of death and bloodshed in this country,” he said, adding that both “important and common” people were at risk.
Claiming there were “ulterior motives” behind the march on Islamabad, he alleged several deaths would take place before and during the long march as the motive was to “divert attention” so that the nation “would start seeing things in black as white” without any nuance.
Arshad Sharif
The former senator also discussed the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, contradicting the PTI’s narrative by claiming that he had not been targeted by the country’s security establishment. “I will speak the truth without fearing the consequences because his martyrdom was a pre-conspired murder, not a mere accident,” he said, alleging that the “conspirators” had blackmailed and threatened the journalist into leaving Pakistan. “Later, it was claimed that either the establishment or some unknown institutions pressured him and asked him to leave Dubai, but this information is false,” he alleged, without any proof, stressing that “one person” had been “conspiring” against the slain journalist and he had informed the PTI chairman of this.
“Arshad was an honest person, but the conspiracy he was informed about had another conspiracy behind it,” he claimed, adding the journalist had been sent to Kenya by “people who wish to see instability and chaos” in Pakistan. “This wasn’t a plain death. It was a cold-blooded murder,” he claimed, alleging that he had been in constant contact with the slain journalist and knew he had been in touch with the security establishment so he could return to the country.
Claiming Sharif’s return would have exposed many “conspirators,” he alleged they had decided to murder him to prevent this. He claimed that he did not buy the Kenyan police’s explanation and he believed Sharif was shot at from a close range in a “premeditated” murder. He alleged that there would be no resolution to the murder investigation, as evidence related to his killing had already been scrubbed.
Peaceful march
Immediately after Vawda’s press conference, PTI leaders rubbished his allegations, maintaining the long march would be completely peaceful. Speaking with ARY News, PTI Senior Vice President Chaudhry Fawad Hussain claimed there would be no violence during the march. “I am surprised and confused at Faisal Vawda’s press conference. We were unaware of this press conference,” he claimed, adding that Vawda would be questioned by the party over it.
Similarly, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said in a posting on Twitter that Vawda’s remarks did not represent party policy. “[PTI] President Sindh has been told on the instructions of the chairman Imran Khan to issue show-cause notice to Faisal for violating party policy,” he added.