In an effort to streamline party affairs, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan asked Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak to relinquish his position as the party’s central general secretary, local media has learnt.
In the first Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting held after the general elections, the party’s leadership on Friday discussed various issues ranging from dual portfolios held by PTI members to causes of the defeat on May 11.
Almost all key PTI provincial leaders hold dual portfolios, which has greatly compromised the party’s position in the province and its activities in the rest of the country. This has compelled Imran Khan to ask the KP CM to relinquish his position.
During the meeting, Khattak insisted he could carry both portfolios by exclusively managing party affairs on the weekends and addressing provincial matters during the remainder of the week, according to a senior party leader requesting anonymity.
After an unsuccessful attempt at convincing the chairman, the CM, who was greatly worried about increasing rifts in the party at grassroots levels, reportedly said he would prefer his party position.
CEC members also objected over KP General Secretary Shaukat Yousafzai keeping four portfolios simultaneously, sources said. Yousafzai currently holds the positions of PTI provincial general secretary, information and health minister and spokesperson for the provincial government.
Earlier, during the first session of the provincial assembly, PTI Provincial President Asad Qaiser, who ignored the long-standing tradition of relinquishing his party portfolio after taking oath as speaker of the assembly, also refused to give up his party office when the opposition benches raised objections over the new speaker’s questionable impartiality.
With more than half of the PTI’s top leaders in KP enjoying lucrative government portfolios, since May 11 the party has failed to convene a provincial executive council meeting. Recently, several senior leaders also opposed the party’s decision on tickets for by-elections, accusing the provincial and central leadership of nepotism.
PTI Peshawar President and Provincial Minister Atif Khan confirmed “some CEC members raised objections regarding senior officials holding dual offices.” Atif added, however, after much discussion it was decided they will discuss the matter at the next CEC meeting.
Atif, who is also a CEC member, further informed it was decided a white paper would be published regarding allegations of rigging in the general elections. “Wherever people have proof regarding foul play in the elections, we will publish a white paper so the people know how the PTI’s mandate was manipulated.”
