PTIP claims in talks with PTI

PESHAWAR: In an unexpected twist, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has reportedly entered into negotiations for a possible deal with the Pervez Khattak-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians for the formation of the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to PTIP spokesman Mansoor Durrani.

“There is an understanding between leaders of the two political parties that they should negotiate a possible deal in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. To make it possible, representatives of the two parties are in secret talks and there is a possibility that they could develop an understanding in this regard,” said Mansoor Durrani.

He said PTIP has won two seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and it was the only political party that could help the PTI in the provincial assembly.

Mansoor Durrani said negotiations had already been started between the two parties through their representatives.

When asked that the PTIP is headed by Pervez Khattak who had strongly criticised the founding chairman of PTI Imran Khan during his election campaign and held him responsible for all the failures in KP, would he still chair the party, Durrani said “well there are some issues that would need to be addressed during negotiations with PTI representatives”.

Mansoor Durrani said negotiations with PTI were initiated with the approval of chairman PTIP Pervez Khattak. “Let’s wait for some time and I believe there will be a possible solution in the next few days,” said the PTIP spokesman. Asked what the PTIP would demand in return for rescuing PTI, he said there were issues that needed to be discussed between the two sides.

When reached, two senior PTI leaders also confirmed their talks with Pervez Khattak’s PTIP but claimed that the party was in fact the second branch of PTI. “It’s actually another branch of PTI and was registered quite earlier. Khattak just used it for the election when he quit PTI,” he claimed.

Asked if Pervez Khattak would remain chairman of the party when PTI MPAs-elect join it, one leader said, “Pervez Khattak is likely to be expelled from PTIP when talks between the two parties reach a conclusion. Let’s wait as the talks are in preliminary stages.”

Another PTI leader said that “everything is fair in love, war and politics. However, I don’t know if Pervez Khattak and Mahmood Khan and their colleagues will be able to return to their previous party.”

The PTI leaders have already explained that they don’t need any help from other political parties to form their government in KP but they wanted to get their reserved seats and for that they wanted to join a political party that has representation in the assembly. They have given an application to the Election Commission of Pakistan for the reserved seats before the election.

Later, while talking to journalists after meeting with Khan in Rawalpindi, Barrister Gohar Khan categorically rejected media reports claiming a proposed political alliance between PTI and PTI-P in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We will not be joining hands with the PTI-P.”