Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s lawmakers in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly have vowed not to support the vote of no-confidence against Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.
After PTI lawmakers submitted resignations in the National Assembly, the opposition leader in the K-P legislature, Maulana Lutfur Rehman, submitted a vote of no-confidence against the CM in an attempt to quell any possible efforts by Khattak to dissolve the provincial assembly.
According to Awami National Party parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak, there was only one motive behind this move: to prevent Khattak from dissolving the provincial legislature. Others, however, feel the opposition would not have taken such a bold step without having solid assurances from certain parties and think there might be more to the move than meets the eye.
On Saturday, disgruntled PTI members pledged their support to the CM and their loyalty to the party.
“Going against the party decision is very difficult and might lead to the disqualification of lawmakers for going against the leadership’s directions,” said a discontented PTI MPA requesting anonymity. “People have spent money on their election campaigns and earned their mandate. How will they respond to public queries after resigning from the provincial legislature?”
The lawmaker said if the coalition partners also joined forces with the opposition benches, PTI would lose its majority and be unable to continue sitting on the treasury benches. He also expressed doubt that those who had joined the party after being elected as independent candidates will ever resign from the provincial assembly.
The Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) chief, Shahram Khan Tarakai, told The Express Tribune they were present at the Azadi march, which clearly meant that they supported Khattak. He added they will never let the CM down. “We will support the PTI-led provincial government at all costs,” Tarakai said.
Speaking to the media in Mardan, independent candidate from PK-27 Jamshed Khan Mohmand also extended his support to the CM. Mohmand clarified he is not joining any party, but will continue to support the PTI government.
PTI chairperson Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek leader Dr Tahirul Qadri led two simultaneous long marches to the federal capital on August 14. After making allegations of rigging, PTI lawmakers and supporters demanded the resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. In the 10 days that followed, the party chief has called for a nationwide “civil disobedience movement” and has asked for the resignations of all PTI lawmakers in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies – with the exception of K-P.
On August 19, K-P opposition members decided to bring a no-confidence motion against Khattak. Some oppposition members have signed in favour of the motion, but 24 more signatures are reportedly needed to take it forward.
Key members of the opposition were assigned the task of contacting ruling coalition parties Jamaat Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan to get behind the motion.
If JI and AJIP bring the motion forward then Khattak will be unable to request Governor Mehtab Abbasi to dissolve the assembly.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 24th, 2014.
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The Express Tribune seems to have appointed a MPA of its own & interviewed him. There is no MPA of PTI who is disgruntled or who is not supporting the party's decision. PTI is one solid unit in the KPK assembly.