Opposition in KP: Assembly accuses CM of deceiving PTI leaders, workers

PESHAWAR: Opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Dr Ibadullah Khan, on Thursday alleged that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had not only deceived his party leadership but also misled his party workers as he still covertly maintained cordial relations with the establishment.

“I can say with full confidence and solid proof that our chief minister maintains good relations with the establishment,” said Dr Ibad while speaking on the floor of the assembly, adding he repeatedly led party workers to Punjab and Islamabad, only to abandon them in the lurch.”

Chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, the assembly session continued its debate on the casualties, arrests, alleged disappearances, and detentions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers by law enforcement agencies during the events at Islamabad’s D-Chowk on November 26.

However, the lack of interest from treasury bench members was evident, as the session was adjourned on Thursday due to a lack of quorum shortly after the opposition party leader delivered a one-hour-long speech. Notably, no representative from the ruling party was present to defend their Leader of the House or the party leadership on the assembly floor.

Dr Ibadullah, who is also the brother of Federal Minister Amir Muqam, said the provincial assembly had been in session since July and there had been discussions after each PTI protest and rally.

“After each PTI protest our chief minister disappeared, was abducted, and sometimes ran away from the spot and reached Peshawar while crossing 12 districts,” he said and added that the PTI-led government had spent its time in ‘Chalo Chalo’ slogans instead of focusing on its province. He said that the PTI leadership, particularly the KP chief minister, had instigated the Pakhtun youths against the state and its institutions but were on good terms with the establishment.

“You are giving an ethnic colour to your political gains and presenting and instigating the Pakhtun youths as angry young men and anti-state,” he said and added that the PTI rally at D-Chowk was not led by a Pakhtun but a ‘Punjabi’ woman who had left the scene in the darkness. The opposition leader ridiculed the figure given by the PTI leaders about slain workers and said it was 278 in the beginning but had now come down to 12.

“I invite Chief Minister Gandapur to visit jails, lock-ups, and hospitals in Punjab and Islamabad with me. If you are sincere to your workers, let us release them. Not a single PTI leader, MPA, MNA, or Senator has suffered even minor injuries; all the bullets and shells have been the fate of the common party workers.”

The opposition leader said the PTI-led government had no time or concern for the victims of the Kurram turmoil where about 46 passengers were killed by armed men on November 21 led to sectarian clashes and violence in the entire Kurram district and about 132 people were killed, hundreds injured and thousands had left their homes.

“The roads are still closed in Kurram and the local people are faced with a shortage of food and medicines,” he said and added that the PTI leadership and provincial ministers were smoking at the All Parties Conference convened by the governor on Thursday.

“This was the provincial government domain and responsibility to hold a jirga and find out a permanent solution to the deteriorating law and order situation in the province,” he said and added that the provincial government had lost its writ in the hometown of the chief minister in Dera Ismail Khan.

“The government employees in D I Khan district are asked not to come out of their houses after evening while the local people have been left at the mercy of the militants and armed men in the all southern districts of the province,” he added. The session was adjourned till Friday when the treasury benches could not complete the required quorum after the speech of the opposition leader.