Ayesha Gulalai quits PTI, says honour of women not safe because of Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Ayesha Gulalai has announced that she is leaving the party.

Speaking to the media, Gulalai alleged that the reason for her leaving the party was that the honour of women was not safe.

“Party chairman Imran Khan is the reason that the honour of mothers and sisters of Pakistan is not safe.”

Gulalai emphasised that she belonged to a Pukhtun family and honour was the most important thing.

“A respectable female worker cannot remain in the party.”

Speaking to Geo News, Ayesha Gulalai called Imran Khan a "fake and characterless Pathan." 

The MNA said that Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution should also be applicable on morally corrupt people.

She added that workers in the party had been protesting on several issues including corruption and the honour of women [not being safe in the party]. “The atmosphere in the party does not support these things. The way the PTI is portrayed is not the reality of the party.”

According to Gulalai, the party chairman was acting like he was in England. “PTI is trying to introduce a western culture in the country.”

In a post on social media, Gulalai who hails from South Waziristan said, "due to immoral character of Imran Khan and the gang around him, calling PTI workers "worthless" and "chotay workers" and rampant corruption by Imran Khan's agent Pervez Khattak in KP, MNA Ayesha Gulalai Wazir has left PTI". 

Additionally, the post on social media stated that Gulalai would hold a press conference to address the issue on Wednesday. 

'Inappropriate text messages'

The former PTI MNA alleged that Imran Khan sent her inappropriate text messages.

“I did not leave the party over the issue of NA-1,” she said, adding that she had to go through mental agony due to the situation.

“What was in those text messages I will reveal in a press conference at 9 PM today,” she added.

I will not vacate my seat: Gulalai

Gulalai, who is a member of the National Assembly said she would not leave her seat as she "wants to serve the people".

Speaking to Geo News, Gulalai said, "I have been in PTI for a very long time and have tolerated the treatment, I even stepped back and enrolled for a PHD course, because respectable women are not safe in PTI." 

She added that there was no confirmation about her joining Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz but added that she knew Nawaz Sharif is a family-man who knows how to respect women. 

She cited an earlier incident in New York where a US House of Representatives resigned over charges of sexual misconduct. 

She was likely referring to the resignation of Anthony Weiner who resigned from the US House of Representatives over sending explicit messages.

Gulalai told Geo News that she met PTI Chairman Imran Khan along with a delegation recently to talk about the 'corruption' of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak with regards to the party's Billion Tree Tsunami campaign under way in KP.

Provincial ministers Ali Amin Gandapur and Atif Khan were part of the delegation and also complained against the chief minister's alleged corruption to Imran.

When asked if the reason for leaving PTI was rampant corruption or the safety of women and their dignity, she specified that it was the latter.

Meanwhile, when Geo News first reported the development, PTI's spokesman claimed the post was fake and would be deleted and a clarification would be issued by Gulalai adding that the accounts for Gulalai were being run by her brother. 

According to sources, Gulalai's meeting with Imran on Monday lasted three hours but PTI Spokesman Fawad Chaudhry told journalists that he did not know about any complaints that Gulalai had with the party. 

Speaking to the media, Gulalai confirmed that she had in fact left PTI, citing the same reasons mentioned in her social media post she added that 'the image of the party shown to the world is not the reality of what goes on inside the party.'

Earlier, PTI Sindh leader Naz Baloch had also walked out from the party citing 'male chauvinism' as one of the reasons. Baloch joined the Pakistan Peoples Party.  

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also reacted to Gulalai's departure from PTI and posted on twitter, saying "Gulalai's rebuke adds to the disquiet about a woman's place in the party."