Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has suspended the party membership of Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The suspension order was issued by Ch Shujaat on Monday after chairing an emergent meeting of the party which was attended by the party’s secretary Tariq Bashir Cheema, PML-Q Senior Vice President Chaudhry Salik, and senior leader of the party Chaudhry Shafay Hussain.

PML- Q president Ch Shujaat sent a show-cause notice to PML-Q provincial party president Ch Parvez Elahi over his comments regarding the party’s possible merger with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The development comes days after Elahi said that consultations were underway on a possible merger of PML-Q into PTI.

Elahi’s statements of wanting to merge the provincial party into the PTI were discussed during the meeting.

In the show cause notice, Hussain stated that such a step would be illegal and unconstitutional.  

“PML-Q, as a political party has a particular character, vote bank, party discipline, constitution and rules, which were violated in your late-night statements to the media,” the notice read.

Being the provincial chief of the party, Parvez Elahi has no legal authority to emerge the party with others. If you want to join another party, you have to leave the party membership, the notice added.

Subsequently, Elahi’s basic party membership had been suspended and was given seven days to explain the statements. “Failure to do which would attract action from the party.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q secretary general Tariq Bashir Cheema on Monday issued a show cause notice to Monis Elahi, Hussain Elahi, and Kamil Ali Agha preventing them that they cannot merge the PML-Q into any other party while being a party member. 

The notices read that if you wanted to join another party, you had to leave the party membership. “If the party discipline is violated, the party hierarchy would write a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan for their termination.” 

“All members are also directed to respond to show cause notices within the stipulated time,” it adds.