PTI suspends Sher Afzal Marwat’s party membership

The PTI has suspended the membership of Sher Afzal Marwat, a prominent and outspoken party leader who was elected to the National Assembly in the February 8 elections. The decision followed a meeting between jailed party founder Imran Khan and the top brass of Adiala Jail, Dawn reported.

According to sources, PTI leaders met Imran Khan on Thursday where the decision to suspend Marwat was taken. An official statement is expected today.

Read more: Sher Afzal Marwat targets Fawad Chaudary

According to party insiders, Marwat has repeatedly violated party discipline and made several statements criticising party leaders over the past month. In one case, he is said to have made derogatory remarks about the party founder. During the meeting, it was stressed that no leader is above the party and any leader who crosses the party line will face similar consequences.

Notably, Marwat was removed from the PTI’s core and political committees in May by Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan on the instructions of Imran Khan. This came after Marwat made a controversial statement accusing Saudi Arabia of involvement in Imran Khan’s ouster in April 2022, when Khan was removed from the post of prime minister by a no-confidence motion by the joint opposition alliance.

Read more: Sher Afzal Marwat calls for Shibli Faraz’s resignation

Marwat, who is known for his controversial statements, had accused both the US and Saudi Arabia of conspiring to topple the PTI government. The PTI publicly distanced itself from his comments, while Marwat insisted that they were his personal views and still stood by them.

Moreover, Marwat had criticised senior party members for stripping him of the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee, claiming that Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz had informed Imran Khan about the Saudi ambassador’s reservations regarding his nomination to the key parliamentary committee.