K-P Minister Shakeel Ahmed resigns, accuses PTI's provincial government of rampant corruption

K-P government says party committee formed by PTI chairman Imran Khan had already recommended Shakeel's removal.

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PESHAWAR:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) Minister for Works and Communications, Shakeel Ahmed Khan, has resigned from his post, citing "deep-rooted corruption" within the provincial government.

Ahmed, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA), submitted his resignation to Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur, expressing frustration with the administration's widespread mismanagement.

In his resignation letter, the minister emphasised his inability to tolerate the ongoing corruption, stating he was compelled to step down.

He also announced his intention to disclose the full reasons behind his resignation during the upcoming KP Assembly session.

Ahmed had previously accused the chief minister of interfering in his ministry, which, he claimed, severely hampered his ability to work effectively due to the rampant corruption.

The KP government responded by stating that a committee, formed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, had already recommended Shakeel Ahmed’s removal.

A summary for his dismissal was forwarded to the KP governor, who has since signed off on the decision, officially de-notifying Ahmed from the cabinet.

This committee was constituted after Shakeel Ahmed met with Imran Khan in jail, where he raised concerns about embezzlement in various provincial departments.

Following this meeting, Ahmed was reportedly pressured to hold off on a press conference where he planned to reveal significant corruption within the government.

Despite these efforts, he went ahead with the press conference, leading to the committee's formation.

The committee, which includes former KP Governor Shah Farman and the Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Anti-Corruption, Brigadier (R) Musaddiq Abbasi, began its investigation into the provincial government's operations.

The inquiry led to the recommendation for Shakeel Ahmed’s removal, even as he continued to voice his concerns about corruption.

In a social media post, Ahmed declared that he had resigned effective August 16, citing the government's deviation from PTI’s mission and the rampant corruption undermining public trust in the party.

He also offered himself for accountability on all platforms and vowed to continue speaking out against mismanagement and corruption in line with PTI’s original manifesto.

Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who signed the dismissal summary, criticized PTI for targeting those who exposed corruption, accusing the party of setting new records for corrupt practices within the provincial government.

He noted that anyone obstructing PTI’s corruption was being removed, and stated that it should have been the chief minister, not Shakeel Ahmed, who resigned.

The resignation follows recent changes, such as the reassignment of the Forest Minister Abdul Hakim Yousafzai to the Livestock and Fisheries departments.