ISLAMABAD: PTI leader and former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur has hit back at party Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, saying KP lawmakers need no “loyalty certificates” from anyone and demanding that he substantiate his allegations.
In a strongly worded statement, Gandapur termed Raja’s recent remarks “regrettable, irresponsible and damaging” to PTI’s internal unity, particularly at a time when the par-ty was facing extraordinary political difficulties.
“This party belongs to Imran Khan. We do not need loyalty certificates from anyone, nor does anyone have the authority to pass judgements on our political loyalty or hand us certificates of treason,” Gandapur said. He said loyalty to the party should be judged by years of struggle, sacrifices and practi-cal contribution rather than the preferences of a few individuals.
Referring to Raja’s mention of “undemocratic decision-makers” and an alleged conspir-acy by a group, Gandapur challenged him to identify those he was referring to.
“First, make it clear who these people are,” he said, asking which lawmakers were being accused of seeking to decide the provincial president or next chief minister without the approval of Imran or the political committee.
“If you have evidence, name them,” Gandapur said.
He also questioned the basis for what he described as a serious allegation that a group had severed contact with now-dysfunctional chief minister Sohail Afridi and his team, paving the way for emergency and governor’s rule. –Agencies
