PTI announces budget boycott in K-P

Imran says govt lacks mandate to go for such exercise

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has announced that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government will not present the budget for FY2018-19, asking the federal government to follow suit because "it lacks mandate given that it is about to complete its five-year tenure".

PTI's Central Executive Committee that met here on Thursday also passed a resolution, demanding the federal government to refrain from presenting the next financial year's budget as "it is left with only 45 days in power".

The CEC that met under the chairmanship of PTI supremo Imran Khan also discussed issues related to the next general elections, awarding of party tickets, right to vote to overseas Pakistanis, delay in KP-FATA merger, installation of a caretaker set-up and horse-trading in the recently held Senate elections.

Talking to the media after the CEC meeting, Khan said, "The PTI has decided to expel all party MPAs who sold their votes in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during the Senate elections and for the purpose a legal team has been constituted that after acquiring consequential evidences against the MPAs submits it to the leadership for disciplinary action against deserters."

He said his party's parliamentary board formed to award party tickets for the next general elections would not only rely solely on affiliation and ideology of a ticket-seeker, rather his/her capability to successfully contest and win elections would be equally considered.

To a question about some seven legislators of the PML-N from southern Punjab who quit party recently, Khan said, "I do not support the idea of forming small independent groups just days before the elections."

"Such electables after winning elections put their loyalties on sale to a winning party," he said, adding, "The PTI also supports creation of a new province consisting of areas of southern Punjab and these electables must join the PTI for this cause."

"It's time for politicians to do ideological politics for the sake of Pakistan. And doing such politics is only possible through the platform of some political party not in independent capacity," he said, adding in Pakistan the idea of ideological politics was destroyed in 1985 by holding non-party elections.

To another question about the caretaker set-up, Khan said all political parties should be taken on board prior to finalising the names of the next caretaker set-up for provinces and at the federal level.

He said under the garb of the Charter of Democracy, the PML-N and the PPP installed a partial caretaker government that rigged the 2013 general elections.



"The PTI will ensure such practice may not be repeated this time around," he added.

Talking about Fata-K-P merger, he said the process was put on the backburner due to Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Maulana Fazlur Rehman who, due to their vested interests, created hurdles to address miseries of the people of Fata.

The CEC reiterated its demand to merge FATA with K-P at the earliest.

The PTI chairman stated that tribal people have suffered the most and faced daunting challenges.

Despite their patriotism and immense sacrifices for the stability of Pakistan, the government did not take the ownership of Fata the way it should have done, he added.

He called for mainstreaming of Fata by introducing the local government system and devolving power to the locals.

The CEC also demanded grant of right to vote for overseas Pakistanis, saying those Pakistanis are valuable assets of the country and their fundamental right to franchise should be acknowledged and granted without any further delay.



Khan lauded the chief justice of Pakistan for his efforts to grant voting rights to the overseas Pakistanis.

"The PTI will continue to fight for voting right of overseas Pakistanis until reasonable arrangements have been made to ensure their participation in the forthcoming general elections," Khan resolved.

He said he would announce the PTI's 100-day plan and party's manifesto for the upcoming elections during the Lahore rally scheduled for April 29.

"That rally will be an eye-opener for those who malign state institutions. We will show these crooks and their aides that nation stands shoulder to shoulder by the Supreme Court," Khan said, adding his fight was not against the Sharif family but a mafia which was hell bent upon discrediting state institutions, responsible for the widespread corruption in the country.