QWP’s re-alliance with PTI may hit snags again

ISLAMABAD: The re-alliance of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appears to have hit snags before being matured as the central PTI leadership is skeptic about allying with the party whose ministers were expelled on charges of corruption.
Highly placed sources in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government confirmed to the News on Saturday that the QWP had accepted PTI’s offer to re-enter the alliance but it appears the central leadership deferred the matter for further discussion. “First of all the PTI wanted QWP does not name any of the member for cabinet slot who was involved in corruption as minister and also to send known honest and efficient persons for the slots” a PTI leader said here.
QWP chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said that his party was in process of getting assurances from the ruling PTI that no such mishap occurs which results in a bad taste of last year when a couple of the party ministers were sacked alleging corruption. Talking to the News Sherpao admitted that the PTI might be faced with the problem of getting back the ministerial slots which the QWP men held before separating from the alliance since taking back a portfolio after its allocation was difficult. He said, “When we joined the coalition after the 2013 polls the situation was quite different as government could not have formed without us.”
Sherpao said the process of consultation both on central and provincial levels has been complete and the practical shape to the alliance may take few more days may be after Eidul Fitr.
An official source in the KP government told the News that under the fresh understanding QWP’s senior leader MPA Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli would be offered the office of deputy speaker whereas the provincial party head and son of Sherpao, Sikandar Khan Sherpao would be reinstated as senior minister with a major ministerial portfolio.
The other PTI coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami which has three ministerial slots may be asked to surrender one of them but the QWP’s demand would be an important ministry for the senior minister.
Meanwhile it is also learnt that there was resentment in the ranks of QWP about the re-entry of the party with PTI which had insulted its ministers by hurling allegations of corruption.