PTI may face problems if Opp moves no-trust against CM

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could face problems in case the opposition parties moved a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Pervez Khattak as eight to 12 PTI members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly who are unhappy with the chief minister may not vote for him, sources told The News.

“We have started our preliminary preparations. Our first meeting was held at the residence of a Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) in Peshawar. There would be more meetings in the coming days. All the MPAs attending the meeting were unanimous in their view not to vote for Chief Minister Pervez Khattak,” said a disgruntled PTI MPA.

Pleading anonymity, he claimed eight PTI MPAs attended the meeting.

He said four other party MPAs had also committed to come to the next meeting to be held at the residence of a PTI MPA from Kohat or Nowshera in the next few days.

This correspondent spoke to three PTI MPAs and they confirmed having participated in the meeting. They said all of them were unanimous in the commitment not to use their votes in case the opposition parties tabled a no-confidence motion in the provincial assembly against the chief minister. “These 12 PTI MPAs are from Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Kohat and Hangu,” claimed a PTI MPA who wished not to be named.

He said they would inform the party leadership and the media about their future strategy after all “pros and cons” of the plan are thoroughly discussed.

The disgruntled PTI MPAs pointed out that the PTI with 61 MPAs was now left with the seven Jamaat-i-Islami lawmakers in the ruling coalition after the Aftab Sherpao-led Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) with 10 MPAs was expelled from the alliance on Saturday.

“We are not against the PTI. We belong to it and will never let it down at the hands of other political parties, but Pervez Khattak stabbed all sincere and loyal people of this party in the back during the past four years. If the party brought any other candidate for the chief minister’s position, we will support him,” said one of the dissident lawmakers. He described the group as ‘Forward Bloc’.

Another PTI MPA said confusion still persisted because the opposition parties have yet to set in motion any plan to bring no-confidence motion against Pervez Khattak.

“Actually Pervez Khattak had obliged the opposition parties and has good terms with them as he knows how to react in case the PTI leadership initiated any action against him,” claimed the PTI MPA in Peshawar.

A PTI MPA from Nowshera said his party leadership had already expressed no confidence in Pervez Khattak after it unceremoniously expelled the QWP from the coalition government and humiliated it the for the second time in four years.

“It was Pervez Khattak who went to the QWP leadership and requested it to join the PTI-led coalition government. The chief minister had brought the QWP into the government after signing an agreement but the PTI leadership didn’t bother to take Pervez Khattak into confidence before throwing the QWP out of the government,” said the PTI MPA.

He believed that majority of the party MPAs were not feeling comfortable with Pervez Khattak and they may not support him if the opposition parties brought a no-trust motion against the chief minister.

Efforts were made to speak to Pervez Khattak and Information Minister Shah Farman, but the chief minister didn’t answer phone calls while the information minister’s cell phone was constantly found switched off.

However, PTI’s senior vice president, Fazal Khan denied emergence of ‘Forward bloc’ in the party.

He said only a few party MPAs had some differences with Pervez Khattak. He said those few MPAs would not be able to win support of other PTI members and create problem for the chief minister.

“All the PTI MPAs would stand by Pervez Khattak in case he is in trouble. There used to be a ‘Forward Bloc’ in the party but it no more exists after differences within the party were resolved,” said Fazal Khan.

He defended Pervez Khattak and claimed that the PTI leadership had taken him into confidence before QWP’s expulsion from the government.