Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) Punjab president Shadab Jafri tendered his resignation on Friday due to the ‘indifference’ of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s leadership towards the lawyers’ community.
ILF Lahore president Fayyaz Mehar said the ILF had been completely ignored in the award of party tickets by the Central Parliamentary Board (CPB). “Hamid Khan sold us out. Not a single lawyer from the ILF has gotten a ticket except for himself,” Mehar said. The CPB instead gave tickets to the likes of Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, who promised several party workers tickets and received favours and bribes from them, Mehar alleged.
“If Khan does not respond to our complaints by Saturday, all ILF district bodies will resign,” Mehar said.
The ILF had earlier announced that it would hold a press conference to record its protest against the CPB’s attitude towards ILF nominees for tickets to the national and provincial assemblies. The press conference was postponed thrice because Hamid Khan placated ILF members every time telling them that Imran Khan would soon hold a meeting with them.
On Thursday, Hamid Khan told Jafri that the chairman had agreed to meet with him on Friday. However, Jafri said no party leader was available on Friday, nor did any of them attend their calls. Jafri handed in his resignation later in the day.
Jafri, a former provincial election commissioner for the PTI intra-party polls, said Khan had promised PTI office bearers, party tickets on priority. The ILF had scrutinised its list of members and had sent 17 nominations for tickets to the national and provincial assemblies. However, the CPB did not award tickets to any ILF members.
“I have been trying to get Khan’s audience to discuss this matter since April 1, since that is not going to happen I have resigned,” Jafri said. The lawyers’ community has been ignored repeatedly, after it helped PTI hold its intra-party elections, he said.
“I have handed Hamid Khan my resignation letter and will return to practicing law full time, “said Jafri.
ILF general secretary Anis Ali Hashmi said some advocates had allowed their community to be sidelined for vested interests.
“We have convened a meeting of district and provincial ILF members on Saturday (today) to decide a plan of action. We will probably announce our resignations as well,” Mehar said.
PTI Central Information Secretary Shafqat Mehmood said that awarding tickets had been the toughest task the PTI had undertaken so far. Many people had been left disappointed and angry with the CPB’s decision, he said. However, there were so many nominees that it was impossible to accommodate them all, said Mehmood.
“The ILF office bearers are loyal and committed party workers and I am sorry that the CPB has not been able to award them tickets, but I urge them to accept the CPB’s decision with a big heart in the interest of the party,” said Mehmood.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2013.