PTI orders MPA Uzma Kardar to resign, ends party membership

ISLAMABAD: The Standing Committee on Accountability and Discipline of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced its verdict over the appeal of a Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Uzma Kardar and ordered her to resign as the provincial legislator in the Punjab Assembly, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The appeal submitted by PTI MPA Uzma Kardar over a controversial audio leak has been rejected by the party’s accountability and discipline committee.

The political party has ended basic member of Kardar over violation of the party discipline and directed to immediately resign from her position as the provincial lawmaker.

The committee stated in its decision that Uzma Kardar had delivered controversial statements against senior party leaders in her telephonic conversation with a journalist and the action was taken in accordance with the clause 3 of the party’s constitution. The politician dented the reputation of the ruling political party, said the committee.

Read: Leaked audio of removed KP Adviser Ajmal Wazir surfaces

On July 11, Uzma Kardar had submitted her reply to a committee formed by the party to probe allegations against her.

According to details, Kardar had sought permission of the party to file a case against people involved in recording and leaking her phone calls which became the reason for her removal from PTI.

PTI’s committee on order and accountability had terminated Kardar’s party membership earlier on July 5 and had given her seven days to prove herself innocent against the allegations on her.

Kardar has claimed that the audio leak being used against her is morphed and she is being targeted by conspirators, she said that the conversation was of a personal nature and the person on the other line was muted in the leak.

Read: PTI ends party membership of MPA Uzma Kardar

She argued that a personal conversation she had with a confidant can’t be used against her on the national scale, she said that everyone knew that she had been a strong advocate for PTI in the past 8 years and has never spoken ill of the party in any capacity.

She further stated in her rebuttal to the allegation against her that her rights as a citizen had been usurped by means of leaking a personal call.

“I would like permission from the political party to approach the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) to probe the matter further,” said Kardar.

“Legal clauses were ignored in the intra-party inquiry carried out against me as there was no formal application filed.”

“I tried apologizing to PTI for the audio leak but my attempts were in vain and the party leadership rejected my apology and asked me to resign from my provincial assembly chair which I won on the party’s ticket, I was also told that if I did not resign then the party will take the matter to the election commission of Pakistan and have me removed as an MPA.”

Sources have claimed that Kardar had tried contacting Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar but her efforts were to no avail.