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Friday March 29, 2024

PTI lawmakers won’t sell votes in Senate elections: KP CM

Says his party candidates were rich but won’t buy MPAs’ votes

By Syed Bukhar Shah
February 28, 2015
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtun-khwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has claimed that his party’s elected representatives would not sell their votes in the forthcoming Senate elections.
“This time the provincial government is serious and we will not allow wealthy candidates to purchase votes of members for Senate election,” he told reporters during a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House on Friday.
Pervez Khattak said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government had ensured transparency and nobody could dare to commit corruption. “Who would indulge in corruption when I don’t demand any commission in projects?” he asked.
He said that his government would ensure 100 percent transparency and every citizen could get all the required information against any government functionary under the Right to Information Act.
The chief minister maintained that his party had presented the best candidates for the Senate elections to represent the province and obtain provincial rights.“Though our candidates including Mohsin Aziz, Nauman Wazir and Liaqat Tarakai are wealthy, they would not spend a single penny on the purchase of votes for Senate elections,” he argued.
Being a common worker of the party, he said he was unaware of the technicalities and that was the reason his party had nominated the best and most experienced candidates in their fields.
When asked when Liaqat Tarakai had joined the PTI and whether Mohsin Aziz was not an ANP member, the chief minister said Liaqat Tarakai, father of Senior Minister Shahram Tarakai, had the right to be given one seat on the basis of PTI’s alliance with their party, Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan.
Mohsin Aziz, sitting beside the chief minister, also clarified that he was never a member of ANP.The chief minister did not agree with a questioner who reminded him that his party’s government had suspended 800 newly recruited employees of the department of prisons.He replied that the PTI-headed government had appointed thousands of people in different departments but some complaints were made against the appointments in jails. “Our government has launched investigation into this case and we won’t allow any corrupt people to violate the rules and regulations. We won’t conceal anything from the public,” he said.
When reminded that his government failed to achieve the target of boosting investment in the province, the chief minister said it could be done only if his party chief Imran Khan assumed charge as prime minister. He said investment would improve once the country got a sincere prime minister.
He recalled that more than Rs600 million were donated in one day for Imran Khan’s hospital because the donors trusted him. He said investors would rush to Pakistan if Imran Khan became the prime minister.
Recalling his meeting with the Afghan ambassador at Imran Khan’s residence, the chief minister said he had asked all unregistered Afghans to register themselves instead of living here illegally. He said no country could afford to allow stay of unregistered foreigners.
He said Afghans were living in the country under an international agreement and it was binding upon Pakistan government to honour the agreement till December 2015. He added that the police had been directed not to torture or insult Afghan refugees as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the home of the Pakhtuns who are known for their hospitality.