Corruption allegations: MPA says he, others stand vindicated

MANSEHRA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Akramullah Ghazi on Saturday claimed that the PTI’s accountability committee had cleared him and other lawmakers of corruption allegations leveled against them by former senator Azam Khan Swati.

“We all, including Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, submitted our responses to the party’s accountability committee, which gave all of us a clean chit,” he told reporters in Oghi.

Ghazi emphasised that some of the so-called big guns within the party, who had refused to accept tickets in last year’s general election, were on the forefront against lawmakers from Mansehra.

“I want to make it clear that my political loyalty begins with the party’s founding chairman, Imran Khan and ends with him. If he asks me to resign, I would comply within two minutes,” he said.

Ghazi, who also serves as chairman of the District Development Advisory Committee, stated that Azam Swati did not specifically name any lawmaker from Mansehra in his accusations.

“In response to Swati’s claims, Babar Saleem Swati wrote letters to the chief minister, the provincial president of PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the head of the party’s accountability committee, Qazi Anwar, seeking a thorough probe,” he added.

Ghazi said that Swati had leveled around 75-point charges, most of which concerned KP assembly’s legislation, transfers, postings, and appointments of class-IV employees, but not any financial corruption allegation.

“Swati failed to present a single piece of evidence to support his allegations before the accountability committee, which ultimately cleared us of all baseless charges,” he said. “Would you believe that those who considered the PTI ticket as a death warrant during the last general election are now hatching conspiracies against us,” Ghazi said.