- PTI puts names of 16 MPAs in grey list for alleged horse-trading
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Tuesday dropped a strong hint over entering into an alliance with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for the election of Senate chairman with PTI Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry saying that his party would go to any limit to deny Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chairmanship of the upper house.
“We will never allow the PML-N to elect its chairman in Senate. We are in talks with smaller political parties for electing our own chairman,” Fawad said without elaborating further.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting of PTI held here under the chairmanship of party chief Imran Khan.
Sources privy to the meeting told Pakistan Today that Shah Mahmood Qureshi briefed the meeting on his interaction with Leader of Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah for bringing joint candidates for the slots of Senate chairman and deputy chairman, along with smaller political parties and independent Senators.
Sources said that Imran Khan initially resisted the proposal but later agreed to give a go-ahead to Qureshi, who told the meeting that the joint candidates would not be an alliance with the PPP in isolation and rather it would be an alliance between all smaller political parties in the Senate.
They further said that during the meeting, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak gave a presentation to the meeting over his investigation into the alleged horse-trading and vote selling by certain PTI MPAs. Khattak also corroborated his claims against those MPAs with evidence and reports of agencies, they added.
Those accused of horse-trading include Livestock Minister Muhibullah, Nagina Naz, Nargis, Yasin Khalil, Ubaid Mayar, Hamidul Haq, Iftikhar Mashwani, Qurban Khan, Gul Sher Khan and Javed Nasim among others. Allegations of vote sale were levelled against 15 MPAs while two MPAs were alleged to have played a key role to help seal the deal.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jehangir Tareen, Pervez Khattak, Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry and others attended the meeting.
Later, addressing a press conference here, Fawad Chaudhry said that the party had decided to take action against its MPAs for their involvement in horse trading and vote sale. He added that names of at least 15 MPAs had been included in grey-list and once their involvement was proved, they would be added to the blacklist.
He further said that the government would lodge cases against those MPAs under criminal law.
He further said that the graft cases against Sharif family were maturing now and the prosecution had proved that Nawaz Sharif had laundered money through 16 companies. He added that the prosecution had established that the money laundering network was being handled by former finance minister Ishaq Dar, and once the verdict comes out, Nawaz and his family members would land in jail.
Meanwhile, KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar admitted that the PTI leadership knew the names of those who traded votes during the Senate election. “We want to thoroughly check the names to cut down the chances of any errors in order to avoid implicating the wrong people in this case,” he added.
He also downplayed the number of PTI lawmakers involved in horse-trading, saying that the actual number was around six or seven. He further said that the names of those found guilty would be made public.
Nevertheless, he said that all guilty lawmakers would be given a chance to defend themselves and clear their names. Qaisar assured that the investigation in connection with horse-trading would be completed in a week or so, after which the names of guilty lawmakers would be made public.
