PTI ‘pressure group’ seeks good governance in KP

Five dissident MNAs claim Pervaiz Khattak, instead of PTI, ruling the province

PESHAWAR: Calling itself the 'pressure group' in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the five unhappy lawmakers are reaching out to the party workers and local government councillors to build a case against Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and seek implementation of the PTI manifesto.

Dawar Khan Kundi, the PTI MNA from Dera Ismail Khan-cum-Tank and one of the five lawmakers campaigning against Pervaiz Khattak, said they would next hold the convention of party workers and elected councillors in Malakand district and then move on to Swat, Peshawar and other places. “We want to inform the PTI workers about the need to implement the party manifesto in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the PTI is in power and ensure good governance. We are seeking fulfilment of the promise to give powers to the nazims and councillors forming the local government,” he added. 

“The government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa isn’t the PTI government. This is Pervaiz Khattak’s government," argued Dawar Kundi while talking to The News. He recalled that he and his colleagues had requested Imran Khan to disown the Pervaiz Khattak government as it had neither implemented the PTI manifesto nor provided good governance in the province.

He said the decision to hold the first PTI workers and councillors convention in his native Tank recently was made after all efforts to sensitise the central party leadership about the situation failed to have the desired effect. "We have been voicing our concerns to Imran Khan and other party leaders. We felt things were going in the wrong direction. We decided to act when the situation became intolerable, though we would remain calm and argue our case with facts and figures," he maintained.

Besides Dawar Khan Kundi, the other four PTI MNAs in the 'pressure group' are Khial Zaman Orakzai, the lawmaker from Hangu district, Col (R) Dr Amirullah Marwat who is the MNA from Lakki Marwat, Sajid Nawaz, the lawmaker from rural Peshawar, and Malakand district MNA Junaid Akbar.

According to Dawar Khan Kundi, three PTI MPAs had approached his group and offered to cooperate with it. "These MPAs claimed to be part of a group of 17 lawmakers. However, we have different approach than these MPAs. We want implementation of the party manifesto while these party MPAs are seeking a share in the annual development programme," he stressed.

He pointed out that PTI's promise of accountability and fighting corruption was suffering as there was no director general of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission after resignation of Lt Gen (R) Hamid Khan in February and subsequently the removal of the director of the Anti-Corruption Establishment Director Ziaullah Toru. "We also want the sacking of the provincial ministers of revenue, health and prisons as they are corrupt," he demanded. 

Dawar Khan Kundi alleged that Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak had given funds to unelected people and opposition lawmakers and ignored the elected PTI members. "In my constituency and in Dera Ismail Khan and in rest of southern districts of the province, the JUI-F legislators are getting funds from the chief minister even though they are in the opposition.

In Charsadda, the Qaumi Watan Party people are getting most of the funds. In Malakand district, the PPP lawmakers get all the finds at the expense of the elected PTI representatives," he lamented.

He also complained about Pervaiz Khattak's attitude towards the PTI legislators. "At times he has been rude with the MNAs. I once complained to the chief minister that he gave Rs30 million to an unelected politician Murid Kazim in my constituency without even telling me. He replied that it was his discretion to provide funds to anyone," he recalled.