PTI, JI part ways as coalition partners

PESHAWAR: After remaining coalition partners for five years, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) formally decided to part ways some 25 days before the end of the constitutional term of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan of JI in the presence of the PTI and JI leaders at a joint press conference at the Chief Minister House on Thursday.

Both the chief minister and former senior minister, appreciating each other for their role during the last five years, termed the day as historic. They claimed they have made history by parting ways with each other on a positive note.

The chief minister appreciated JI for its cooperation in establishing a corruption-free government in KP, saying they were parting ways on a pleasant note. "We have no differences. We have no issues. But we are two different political parties and we have to follow the party decisions," the chief minister argued.

Inayatullah Khan, who was the local government minister in the cabinet, recalled that they had signed an 11-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) and followed that during the last five years.

"We are leaving the government and establishing a new trend in parliamentary history. Instead of levelling allegations against each other, we will continue cooperation for the welfare of our people," he said.

Pervaiz Khattak congratulated the people on the decision of the merger of Fata with KP in 2019, saying the local government elections would be held in 2018. He recalled that KP was getting net profit on hydel power generation that was capped for years at Rs6 billion annually but due to his government's constant efforts the province would be getting Rs100 billion in the future.

He said the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) could continue talks with the jirga formed by the government even if the KP government completes its term. When asked what would be the benefit of leaving the government in the last days of the government, Inayatullah said that JI was not quitting the government due to any differences or complaints but was doing so under an arrangement.

"We have to go for election campaign for which we need time and we have decided to go to the people," he said. "We are separate political parties. We were in a coalition. It was our internal demand to quit and we followed it," he pointed out. "We had signed an 11-point MOU including educational reforms, which we brought while in government. Similarly, we have presented our note wherever we had any reservations," he added.

When his attention was drawn towards the demand by his party's dissidents and opposition lawmakers asking him to seek vote of confidence, Pervez Khattak said that they had already sent a letter to the governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "Let the governor take a decision and we will act accordingly," he said.

When asked about the moral justification for sitting and addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister House after losing majority in the provincial assembly, the chief minister said that he could do everything and that was the reason he was sitting there. He said he had been assured by different political parties of their support and that was why he is still the chief minister.

Regarding the appointment of the caretaker chief minister, the chief minister said he had discussed the issue with leader of the opposition and parliamentary leaders of other parties including the PML-N. He said they would take a consensus decision and would announce the name of the caretaker chief minister. He added that the JI had already given him the name of it choice of caretaker chief minister.

At the end, the chief minister, former senior minister Inayatullah, former Finance Minister Muzaffar Sayyid who also belongs to the JI, KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, MPA Shaukat Yousafzai, and others shook hands with each other in front of the media to say goodbye to each other.