Pervaiz Khattak likely to retain KP CM office

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Friday formally started consultations within its ranks over the prospects of formation of governments in the provinces.

The PTI Chairman Imran Khan presided over the lengthy exercise here at his Banigala residence. The government formation in the Centre and in the four provinces was discussed threadbare. Different names were discussed for the slots of chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh as well as Balochistan. “There are some ifs and buts with regards to possible set-ups in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Therefore, all aspects were taken into account during the meeting,” said one of the party leaders, who attended the meeting. He claimed that former KP chief minister Pervaiz Khattak was poised for the same duty again, while names of Atif Khan and some others also had been discussed. Moreover, the PTI might form a coalition government, but would prefer to retain the post of chief minister and for this, names of Tahir Sadiq (who won not only the two NA seats from Attock but also returned from PP-3), Fawad Chaudhry and Mehmoodur Rashid were discussed. Pervaiz Elahi’s name was also discussed if a situation arose to concede the slot to allies. The slots of National Assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker were also discussed during the meeting and MNA-elect Dr Arif Alvi was among the probables for the coveted slot. The meeting also deliberated upon the possible implications of the multi-party conference, which was convened here in the federal capital Friday evening. The moot demanded holding of general elections afresh, rejecting the July 25 electoral exercise. The PTI leadership thrashed out a mechanism to swiftly give its calculated reaction to the opposition’s tirade.