Unmet deadline: Pressure group huddles to strategise next step

Disgruntled lawmakers of PTI yet to get another audience with Chairman Imran Khan in spite of earlier assurances.

PESHAWAR:

Disgruntled lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are yet to get another audience with Chairman Imran Khan in spite of earlier assurances that their grievances will be addressed within two weeks. The pressure group is led by the provincial deputy speaker.

In March this year, differences within the party surfaced after some MPAs made their concerns public. The reshuffle of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) cabinet and the party’s central leaders’ interference in K-P’s affairs were considered particularly irksome.

Many party leaders tried to pacify the disgruntled legislators, but their attempts remained unproductive as the ‘pressure group’ refused to meet Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and wanted to meet the party chief in Islamabad to share their concerns.

On April 4, before meeting the displeased legislators, Imran warned that he would rather dissolve the provincial assembly than cave in to the groups’ “blackmailing”. However, he assured the lawmakers that their genuine problems will be addressed in two weeks.

“We were told that our grievances will be addressed in two weeks and an enquiry would be launched over corruption charges against some ministers,” said a member of the pressure group. “Our concerns are still valid and we will hold a meeting prior to today’s (Sunday) assembly session to discuss our next step.”

He said 14 members of the pressure group will devise a future strategy soon. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2014.