PTI losing touch with workers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

PESHAWAR: Senior workers of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter of the PTI have shown dissatisfaction over the policies of the central leadership and expressed reservations over the increasing communication gap between the two tiers of the party.

They described provincial ministers holding party offices as unconstitutional and said they were taking no interest in the party that might harm it during the next general elections in 2018.

In this regard they cited the case of the PTI provincial secretariat in Peshawar and said the office had ceased to work since its six employees were fired in June 2016.



Currently, only two employees run the whole secretariat, while during the last three months neither PTI Peshawar president Shah Farman nor a single PTI member visited the office, the disgruntled workers said and added the employees have been running the secretariat from their own resources while they also are not receiving the salaries on time.



A senior PTI worker in Peshawar told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that due to lack of seriousness the provincial leadership has lost its reputation.

“This can be judged from the November 2 rally in which a very small number of workers participated.”

He said senior workers have decided to start a movement in the province to provide a proper platform to party workers and unite them against the irregularities in the party cabinet’s organisation.

“Regional presidents of the party have been holding ministerial posts as well as party offices and they are finding it difficult to meet with workers and organise them for political activities.”

“For example, Shah Farman is holding the portfolio of the public health engineering as well as the office of the party’s Peshawar region president. Ali Amin Gandapur is the minister for revenue and the party’s southern region president.”

The workers said according to the PTI constitution, it was unlawful for a provincial minister to hold the office in the government and the party cabinet at the same time. He said it was mentioned in the PTI constitution that the party was legally bound to hold intra-party elections, but unfortunately the process was delayed time and again due to personal interests of party leaders.



Head of the Central Media Department of the PTI Iftikhar Durrani, while talking to The Express Tribune, admitted the party had focused more on the Panama case than on organising provincial activities.

“In a day or two, the senior leadership will sit together and discuss the future planning.” He said they would start an awareness campaign across the country and start it from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

About the PTI provincial secretariat, Durrani said: “I don’t know about the current status of the office and will bring it into the notice of the senior leadership of the situation.”

About holding dual offices by ministers, he said it was the decision of the senior leadership and added that it was not possible for the party to hold intra-party elections before the coming general elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2016.