NA-194: PTI issues show-cause notice to Abro for withdrawing candidature in Bilawal’s favour

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday issued a show-cause notice to Senator Saifullah Abro – a party candidate contesting February 08 elections from NA-194 – after he withdrew in favour of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

In a post on social media platform X, Abro confirmed his meeting with Bilawal and said he had decided to withdraw from the election race in NA-194, a constituency from where Bilawal is also contesting elections.

“I am withdrawing in favour of Bilawal and have decided to compete with the tiger (PML-N),” he said. Meanwhile, Bilawal thanked Abro for his support.

“PTI workers across the country are beginning to understand that the only way to stop PML-N is to vote for PPP’s arrow on Feb 8,” he wrote on X.

“I also appeal to political workers from all parties to vote smartly and we can pull off a surprise on Election Day,” the PPP chairman added.

This angered the PTI which slapped the party senator with a show cause notice for violating party discipline and joining hands with PPP, a party with which Imran Khan has ruled out any alliance for elections.

“You being elected as a senator on the party’s ticket in the Senate of Pakistan and also awarded party ticket to contest General Elections 2024 have shown grave indiscipline by violating the party’s discipline,” said the notice, issued by PTI secretary-general Omar Ayub Khan.

He directed Abro to provide a written response within three days on why action should not be taken against him, adding “If your reply is unsatisfactory or you do not respond, further action will be taken as per party policy and rules.”

At a rally a day earlier, Bilawal had urged PTI workers not to “waste” their votes on independent candidates and instead opt for his party’s candidates on Feb 8.

He said if PTI supporters wished to stop PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif from becoming the prime minister for a fourth time, they could either waste their vote by opting for independent candidates, “which amounts to supporting the PML-N” or “strategically use their right to vote.”

“They [PTI supporters] should consider this a contest between two parties, and to stop the lion in its path, they should stamp the arrow of PPP,” Bilawal said while referring to the electoral symbols of PML-N and PPP.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024