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PESHAWAR:
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly has demanded representation in negotiations with the federal government, proposing former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur as the province’s representative.
In a statement issued after a meeting on Thursday, the parliamentary party rejected any suggestion of a change in the party’s provincial leadership, stating that Sohail Afridi was the constitutionally elected chief minister and Junaid Akbar the provincial party president under the party’s decisions.
The statement said the central leadership should ensure the provincial parliamentary party’s representation in all strategic decisions and negotiations with the government. The meeting decided by a majority to nominate Gandapur as the province’s representative on the central negotiating team.
The lawmakers also expressed concern and disappointment over a recent statement and social media post by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja concerning the parliamentary party’s meeting. They urged party Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to take notice.
They demanded that Raja withdraw his statement and apologise to the provincial parliamentary party. The statement further maintained that no legal or constitutional decision had been taken, or could be taken, regarding the provincial chief minister’s and party president’s positions.
The parliamentary party also rejected the imposition of an emergency and governor’s rule in K-P on October 11, describing the move against the elected provincial government, which commanded a two-thirds majority, as unconstitutional, illegal and an act of political vengeance.
