- Rebel MNAs say they’re fighting against the corruption of Chief Minister Khattak and his cabinet
- MNAs close to Khattak say rebels are motivated by jealousy and are dancing to PM Nawaz’s tunes for more funds
The rebellion against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak may be little more than an arm-twisting tactic by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers bent upon getting maximum development funds for their respective constituencies. The party, however, also does not seem to have clear answers for why so many of its parliamentarians have rebelled against the sitting chief minister.
Instead, there seems to be no love lost between the two sides as they are both attempting to paint the other in the worst possible light.
Imran Khan’s meeting with the party’s MPAs in Peshawar in the evening proved fruitful as the party announced that the disgruntled MPAs will return to the fold after the meeting. Imran Khan announced that from now on, he will be visiting the province more often.
But there was no word on whether the rebel MNAs were also being wooed by the party establishment.
While there are accusations aplenty against the chief minister, it appears that the rebels are light on evidence against the maligned CM. Party officials, in fact, are saying the lawmakers have personal grievances against Khattak.
PTI leaders in background interviews and on the record discussion indicated that the rebel lawmakers are in a hurry to get maximum development funds so that they can win the next elections in the wake of rumours of snap polls in the country.
PTI MNA Dawar Khan Kundi told Pakistan Today that the rebel group had held consultations with like-minded members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
“All five of us have arrived here in Peshawar to hold a meeting with likeminded colleagues of the KP assembly. We will present our charter once we finalise our strategy,” said Kundi.
Kundi did not say how many members there are in the like-minded group.
“I don’t have the mandate to talk about our likeminded MPAs. They will announce their strength once we decide the future strategy. For the time being, I can tell you that we are five MNAs in this group and we are fighting for securing the ideology of the party,” he said.
‘FIGHTING AGAINST CORRUPT PRACTICES’:
Qurban Ali Khan, a PTI MPA elected from Nowshera, the same city from where Chief Minister Khattak was elected, also refused to comment on the number of people in the likeminded group.
“We were a 14-member group who had vowed to resist the corrupt practices of the cabinet ministers and of the chief minister. For the time being, I don’t know the exact number of my colleagues as all of us are scattered. I can give you a number once we sit down together,” he added.
He said that he had been vocal against corrupt practices and for accountability of the corrupt elements in the PTI government for the last two years but to no avail.
“My speeches against corruption and malpractices are a part of the assembly’s record. In a bid to disrupt our group, the chef minister picked some of my colleagues into his cabinet while some others have been made parliamentary secretaries. They had made Javed Nasim a parliamentary secretary while another colleague Azizullah Khan was also made parliamentary secretary yesterday (Tuesday),” he added.
‘REBELLION FUELED BY JEALOUSY’:
A PTI lawmaker told Pakistan Today that Pervez Khattak had gone beyond the call of duty to accommodate the PTI lawmakers.
“Pervez Khattak has accommodated all the lawmakers. He has provided Rs 20 million as development funds to each PTI MNA even though the federal government had not provided any funds to the party’s lawmakers.”
However, the MNA said that the five lawmakers had decided to stage a rebellion out of jealousy against their own fellow MPAs who had gotten launched many development schemes in their respective constituencies.
‘THEY JUST WANT MORE FUNDS’:
“Since these MNAs have failed to do development work themselves, they feel they’re being left behind while their MPA colleagues have done more development work. So the MNAs feel their influence is being curtailed as compared to their fellow MPAs. Now they want more development funds for more development in their areas,” the PTI leader added.
The PTI leader said that the rebel lawmakers were feeling the heat due to the public pressure as elections can be held anytime in the wake of the Panamagate.
‘THEY’RE DANCING TO THE PM’S TUNE AND THE CHAIRMAN WILL SHUT THEM DOWN’:
A PTI leader said that the party will also investigate whether this so-called rebellion is being staged to divert the attention of the PTI chairman who has threatened to launch street protest to seek probe into Panama Leaks allegations against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members.
“We are investigating the matter to find out whether the PTI lawmakers have a genuine grievance or if they are dancing to the tunes being played by the PM’s cronies,” he added.
“PTI Chairman Imran Khan is already in Peshawar today where he will hold separate meetings with angry PTI MNAs and MPAs. He will personally listen to them and will make up his mind over the issue. The chairman will also announce future strategy shortly over the issue. But one thing is clear: Imran won’t give in to blackmail,” he said.
A PTI lawmaker said that Pervez Khattak is not only providing funds to the PTI members of the KP assembly but he is also providing development funds to the opposition members judiciously.
“This is what the PTI stands for. Khattak is treating the government and opposition lawmakers equally,” the PTI leader added.
Asked to elaborate, the PTI lawmaker said that Khattak had divided funds among PTI and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MPAs from Hangu equally.
“There is a PTI MNA from Hangu while one MPA belongs to PTI and the other belongs to JUI-F each. The royalty for gas and oil has been divided between the PTI and JUI-F members fairly,” the PTI leader said.
‘THE INGRATE REBELS’:
The PTI leader added that Khattak had also provided funds to PTI and JUI-F members from Bannu. He asserted that the disgruntled MNAs were themselves to blame for their lethargic attitude as they never turn up for meetings and then ask for development funds for their constituencies.
“Despite the fact that Khattak played a key role in the election win of Col (r) Amriullah Marwat and Dawar Kundi, it is regrettable to find that both are now blaming him for their failure,” the PTI leader said.
He said Khattak had played a key role in the nomination of Marwat as Chairman of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Education.
“Now Marwat holds an office similar to that of Asad Umar’s. Both are chairmen of various standing committees. What else does Marwat want?”
As far as Dawar Kundi is concerned, the PTI lawmaker said that after the election of Kundi as MNA, his brother had been appointed as District Nazim of Bannu.
“Half of the employees of class-IV in Bannu have been accommodated on the request of Kundi. What else does he want from PTI?”
He said that if Khattak’s performance was not up to the mark, how it was possible for the PTI to hold huge public meetings across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Other than Imran Khan’s charisma, the performance of the KP government is what attracts crowds to PTI’s rallies in KP,” the PTI leader said.
