PESHAWAR - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Amir Muqam has said that his party will serve a defamation notice on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan for leveling ‘baseless’ allegations against his party MPA Babar Saleem of selling his vote in the recently held Senate elections.

PTI MPA from Swabi, Saleem, joined the PML-N at a public gathering on February 4 in Peshawar.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Friday, the PML-N leader said that the ‘so-called champion’ of principles, Khan, has done injustice by accusing party MPA Saleem. He said that the PTI chief has divulged only half truth which was provide to him by KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

He alleged that Khan and Khattak themselves were indulged in horse-trading as ‘they were busy in buying’ PML-N MNA and MPAs ahead of the Senate polls.

“What criteria was followed when businessman Ayub Afridi and Khayal Zaman joined the PTI and awarded them Senate tickets? he questioned.

The PML-N KP president also said that the PTI awarded tickets to billionaires by ignoring ideological workers in the Senate elections.

“Imran Khan is deceiving the people in the name of merit and justice in the country. Imran Khan earlier said that he will never shake hands with Pakistan Peoples’ Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, but in Senate polls, his party supported the PPP, which clearly showed his double standard,” Muqam said.

Flanked by MPA Saleem and other party workers, the PML-N leader said that Khan issued show-cause notices to party members to cover his face. He said MPA Saleem has also been issued a notice, who had joined the PML-N before Senate elections. He said they will soon serve a defamation notice on Khan for leveling baseless allegations against Saleem.

Muqam further said that on the one hand, Khan was accusing PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif of having offshore companies, but on the other hand, Saleem Saifullah brothers, owners of offshore firms, were now sitting with him and making an electoral alliance for only personal gains. He said that there was a huge difference between words and actions of Khan.

He said that the PTI-led provincial government could not live up to the expectations of the people.

“Critics of metro bus project in Lahore have launched the same project in Peshawar, only to create problems for the masses and the traders,” he said taking a jibe at the PTI chief.

MPA Saleem said that how Khan dared to include his name in the list, saying that he was never been part of the PTI. He clarified that he joined the PML-N on February 4, while Senate elections were held in March.

“I am answerable only to the PML-N and not to the PTI,” Babar said and asked the PTI chief to tender apology for leveling false allegations against him. He hoped that the PML-N will form its government at centre again and in KP by gaining a majority of seats in the upcoming general election.

PTI WOMEN MPAS SPURN IMRAN’S ALLEGATIONS

Three women lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Friday refuted the allegations leveled against them by the party leadership that they sold their votes in Senate elections.

Addressing a joint news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Friday, Member Provincial Assembly (MPAs) Nageena, Naseem and Nargis said that they take oath on the holy Quran that they were not involved in hours-trading. They said that they were ready to prove their innocence if an impartial probe was launched by the party. They said that it was totally unfair that their names were made public without contacting them by the so-called probe committee.

MPA Naseem from Swabi said that she was the pioneer member of the party and spent more than 22 years for the party. “I was shocked when Imran Khan took my name,” she said adding that the party chief did not think for a minute about her royalty. “If he had summoned me and asked about the list, I could have explained, but he did not do so,” she said adding her name was announced through a press conference, which was completely appalling for her.

MPA Naseem accused Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak of deliberating including her name in the list. She warned that the chief minister himself will fall prey to such traps due to his involvement in massive corruption in mega development projects in the province.

“Our hands are clean and we remain loyal to the party, but the party gifted us with an award of libel of corruption,” Naseem said adding she will expose the name of those who had been protected by the chief minister and excluded from the list.

MPA Nagina from Malakand Division alleged that the list was deliberately changed to protect blue-eyed ones. She clarified that they had given the vote to the PTI candidate, who was elected to the Senate. She said that the technique adopted by the PTI to ‘expose’ the corrupt was completely unwarranted and unmerited.

The PTI women MPAs warned that if the party and the party chief did not explain how their names ended up in the list of horse-trades within 15-days, they will opt for imitating legal action against the party chief.