Rhetoric works more than actions
Delawar Jan
PESHAWAR: Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Speaker Asad Qaiser are allegedly
lobbying to obtain party tickets for their close relatives on National Assembly
constituencies they had vacated, sources in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
said.
The chief minister is
the PTI’s central secretary general and speaker the provincial president and both
have say in the party. Khattak won the National Assembly seat, NA-5, in his
native Nowshera while Qaiser clinched victory on NA-13 in Swabi. Both the PTI
leaders had also succeeded on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seat from their
native districts.
They chose to vacate
the National Assembly seats in order to secure key positions in the provincial
government that is being led by PTI. Khattak retained PK-13 to secure the
coveted office of the chief minister while Qaiser kept PK-35 to take hold of
the office of the speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Now both the leaders
are allegedly trying to get party tickets for their close relatives, according
to sources. An insider said Pervez Khattak was lobbying to secure party ticket
for NA-5 for his nephew, Imran Khattak, who is also his son-in-law. Asad Qaiser
is allegedly using his influence to field his brother, Waheed Khan, the insider
said.
Qaiser did not respond
to calls and a text message to give his version. Similarly, Shaukat Ali
Yousafzai, the PTI provincial secretary general and government spokesman, ignored
calls and a text message that asked for his party’s viewpoint on the issue.
Imran Khan, the PTI
chief, has been taunting and criticising other political parties, particularly
the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N for promoting dynastic
politics in the country. In his election rallies, he promised with people to
discourage dynasties but leaders in his party are promoting this practice with
no, or little, reaction from him. “This is disturbing. This is not the party we
wanted and these are not the principles we stood for. Now, we even cannot face
people as we have been doing things we vociferously opposed,” said a PTI
leader, requesting not to be identified because it could cause trouble to him.
In reserved seats for
women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Pervez Khattak was alleged of promoting his
female relatives, including his sister-in-law (wife of brother). “She (Pervez’s
sister-in-law) even doesn’t live in this province,” said an insider. “Workers
feel disillusioned. Everything we had dreamt for is tearing into pieces in
front of our eyes, which is unbearable for us,” he said.
Another leader, who
also preferred to remain anonymous, said Imran Khan was contradicting his own
words. “When he was awarding tickets in Islamabad, he clearly told us that he
would expel parachuters and leaders’ relatives who are given positions due to
relations,” the leader said. “Imran Khan knew Pervez Khattak had submitted
papers for three of his female relatives on reserved seats, but he ignored and
also did not listen to complaints from workers,” the leader added.
Several PTI workers
were aspiring to get party ticket on NA-1 in Peshawar, and it appears the name
of Gul Bacha has been finalised. PTI leaders did not respond to calls to
confirm or deny it. However, when central spokesperson Shireen Mazari was asked
whether she confirms the award of ticket to Gul Bacha, her response was a half
yes. “This is the sense we have but we will have to wait and see when election
schedule is announced,” she said in a text message.
Gul Bacha was one of
the few leaders in Peshawar who led Imran Khan’s election campaign. However,
some of the PTI activists said he was controversial. “He is an Afghan national
but has managed to make legal documents in Pakistan,” a leader said, wishing
anonymity as the comment could invoke party’s disciplinary action.
The allegation could
not be confirmed immediately. What was learnt was that Gul Bacha had contested
and won election for union council nazim in Peshawar in 2001.
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