PM orders removal of K-P law minister after ‘horse-trading’ video

Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to remove provincial law minister Sultan Muhammad Khan after a video of an alleged horse-trading involving ruling PTI lawmakers surfaced on Tuesday.

In a tweet from his official handle, PM’s aide on political communication Shehbaz Gill said Premier Imran has directed Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to remove the minister from his post and also hold an inquiry into the matter and submit report at the earliest.

The video shows a handing of large sums of money, reportedly Rs20 million, to various provincial lawmakers belonging to the ruling PTI and others.

The money was given to secure their votes for the PPP and its candidate during the 2018 Upper House polls.

Minister Sultan Muhammad and another person Sardar Idrees can be seen in the video counting the money and signing an undertaking.

Also seen in the video are former PTI MPA Meraj Hamyoon and MPA Dena Khan, former PPP MPA Muhammad Ali Bacha and others receiving cash for their loyalty.

In a follow-up tweet Gill said the difference is clear between PM Imran and his political opponents.

“[PM] Imran Khan expelled 20 members from the party who were selling their votes in the Senate. And after the video came out today, the law minister has also been asked to resign,” he added.

On the other hand, Gill further said the PML-N honoured its member Rana Mashood even more when his scandalous video came to fore. “This is the difference between Imran Khan and these thieves,” he said.

Minutes later, K-P CM Mahmood Khan confirmed in a tweet that he has summoned resignation from the minister.

“Instructions have been issued for a transparent inquiry. In line with Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision, the K-P government will not compromise on transparency and accountability,” he added.

Later, PM Imran in a tweet from his official handle said that the videos exposed the “shameful way” in which politicians buy and sell votes in the upper house of parliament.

“[Video reflects the total destruction of the nation's morality by successive ruling elites as they drowned the nation in debt. Cycle of corruption and money laundering is a sordid tale of our political elite.”

PM Imran said the politicians spend money to come to power and then use this political power to make money to purchase bureaucrats, media and other decision-makers to consolidate their power and rob nation's wealth.

He said anti-government alliance of almost all major opposition parties — Pakistan Democratic Movement — wanted to protect this “corruption-friendly” system.

“This is what the PDM cabal wants to now protect by supporting a corruption-friendly system. We are determined to stop this cycle of corruption and money laundering that is debilitating the nation,” he wrote on a Twitter.