Several independents in my pocket: KP CM

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan on Monday blamed the PTI's disgruntled workers for the party's abysmal performance in the merged districts' elections and said several independent members are in his pocket.

“Some people are in my pocket, don’t worry,” he said while addressing a press conference here.

"The MNAs said that the (election) tickets be given as per their wishes. They said we will support them and enable them to win the elections," the chief minister said. "But it didn’t happen. Tickets should be given on merit," he said.

One of the main reasons behind the party's poor performance, the KP CM believed, were the party members who contested elections independently.

"Some of our candidates were standing independently and they harmed us," Mehmood Khan said. "Action will be taken against them," he said.

Mahmood Khan said that peaceful, free and fair elections in the merged districts dispelled all the negative propaganda against the government and proved that people of the area fully supported the merger process.

“July 20, 2019, became a historic day for the tribal people. The Election Commission of Pakistan, security forces and people of the tribal districts deserve appreciation on the conduct of the peaceful, impartial, free and fair election,” the chief minister said.

He said the merger process was completed with the election for the provincial assembly. He said the next important phase was the local government elections, which will devolve powers to the grassroot level thereby completing the democratic process and ensuring that people are part of governance.

Mahmood Khan added that people of newly merged districts had shown that they were peaceful and democratic people, who supported the merger with KP. He congratulated the newly elected Provincial Assembly Members (MPAs) from the tribal districts and hoped that these elections would prove to be a new chapter of development and progress for the tribal districts.

The chief minister also appreciated the participation of women from tribal districts in the elections, saying that it proved that citizens of tribal districts not only believed in democratic norms but also encouraged womenfolk to become part of the democratic process.

To a question, Mahmood Khan clarified the PTI had emerged the leading political party securing more seats in the merged districts than any other political party. He said that all independent candidates had formally been invited to join PTI so that they could play an effective role in the implementation of the 10-year development plan. The chief minister said that due portfolios would be assigned to the newly elected MPAs in the provincial cabinet as per law. The chief minister also paid special thanks to media for positive coverage during the election.