ISLAMABAD, July 11: PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who is in London recuperating from his back injuries, had to intervene for a second time in three days on Thursday as the leaders back home quibbled over whether the party office-bearers elected to various public offices should continue performing their dual responsibilities.

The controversy was simmering since several of the party`s lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were sworn in as members of the provincial government during the first week of June, but came to the fore on Tuesday when the chairman of the central election commission of the PTI, Hamid Khan, relieved all such lawmakers of their party responsibilities.

In his latest message to the party leadership which was also released to the media, Imran Khan said that since the PTI constitution was silent over the subject, it needed to be taken up by the central executive committee (CEC).`While we respect the independence of theparty`s election commission and would not seek to interfere in its workings, its decision on dual offices is interpretative.

The PTI constitution is silent on this issue and there are different interpretations amongst the leadership,` Mr Khan was quoted as saying.

`Till such time as the CEC meets, the status quo will remain in place.

On July 9, Hamid Khan issued a notification declaring the offices of the party`s central secretary general, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president and provincial general secretary, held by Chief Minister Parvez Khattak, Speaker Asad Qaiser and provincial minister Shaukat Yousufzai, stood vacated.

He said the schedule for the election to fill the vacant posts would be announced after Ramazan.

However, Imran Khan issued a statement from London clarifying that these were simply recommendations of the election commission and the party would review them at the CEC level.Hamid Khan issued a second statement on July 10, claiming that the PTI constitution stated that in case of challenges with regard to qualification, the party`s election commission would adjudicate in matters where disputes arose.

A PTI member of the National Assembly said the issue was first discussed on July 5 in a CEC meeting where some leaders spoke against keeping dual offices. The PTI chairman asked Hamid Khan to look into the matter. It would be taken up again at the committee`s next meeting.

`This is beyond our understanding what made Hamid Khan to go public on the issue which is still to be decided within the party and eventually Mr Khan had to intervene from London,` the MNA said. He said Imran Khan had categorically said that there would be no more discussion on the matter till the CEC gave its final ruling.

Hamid Khan wasn`t available for comments.