By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan's cricketer-politician Imran Khan stands to lose membership of the National Assembly with the speaker sending two disqualification references accusing him of misconduct to the chief election commissioner (CEC) for "further action".
Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain Hussain said he found that the notices by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi and by the pro government Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) were valid.
"I evaluated the references prima facie. In my view the references were valid," the speaker said. "I applied my mind to these references honestly and with responsibility and made the decision after thoroughly thinking on these references."
The references allege that Khan had a relationship out-of-marriage with a British woman, the late Sita White, and they had a "love child".
The Daily Times noted that the speaker was bound to forward the reference within 30 days, while he did so in eight. The CEC is to summon both parties to testify and complete proceeding on the references within 30 days. He must announce his decision in 90 days.
The allegations against Khan have been around for several years. Now it has come in handy for the MQM, after Khan accused the party of triggering the May 12 violence in Karachi that killed 48 persons.
Khan has moved the British authorities against MQM's exiled chief, Altaf Hussain, now a British national, alleging that Hussain had incited sectarian violence.
He said the speaker had acted "hastily" and that the action against him would firm his "resolve to fight the terrorists."
The opposition Wednesday also threatened to file disqualification notices against President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other ministers and staged a protest walk-out in the National Assembly shouting "Katil, Katil MQM Katil" (Killer MQM).
Opposition member Mehmood Khan Achakzai slammed the government for failing to initiate investigations into the killings in Karachi on May 12, triggered when suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry sought to visit the city to address members of the bar.
"It is condemnable that the president and prime minister did not take any action against the culprits of the Karachi carnage, but Imran is being victimised for calling a British national (Altaf Hussain) a terrorist. This is a mockery of justice and we condemn it," he said.
Khan is a first-term member of Pakistan's National Assembly. He is the only representative in the assembly of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf party, which he heads.
The tenure of the National Assembly ends later this year.