Khattak given charge of K-P president office

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak has been given the charge of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa president office, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib announced on Tuesday.

Last December, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also the chairman of PTI, had announced the new organisational structure of his party, a day after dissolving all previous bodies over dismal performance in the local government (LG) elections in K-P.

Among other appointments, Khattak was given the office of K-P president.

Addressing a news conference along with the defence minister here, Habib confirmed that Prime Minister Imran Khan had given the responsibilities of provincial president to Khattak.

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Commenting on re-polling in K-P LG polls, Habib noted that the results of the ruling party had “improved considerably”.

The PTI delivered a major blow to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) by clinching the mayor’s seat of Dera Ismail Khan, the hometown of the party’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

“Fazl has lost support in his hometown,” Habib said while addressing the presser.

The state minister reiterated that the government would complete its five-year tenure adding that it enjoyed the support of its allies.

Speaking on the occasion, Khattak maintained that a propaganda campaign had been launched against the PTI that the ruling party had lost its popularity.

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He said 18 tehsils and four independent candidates had joined the PTI, adding that the ruling party was leading the LG polls in terms of votes.

He said the JUI-F had won 23 seats, PML-N two or three seats while the Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamaat-e-Islami had one or two seats.

On his appointment as K-P president, Khattak expressed the hope that the PTI would lead again in the province.

He said the ruling party was working on district and village council level and appointing coordinators to strengthen the party’s structure. “We are empowering the workers and will organise the party from grass root level on their recommendation.”