K-P politics: PTI faces off against the unyielding Fazl

Tough road ahead for Khan’s party as it faces rigging allegations, internal rifts.

PESHAWAR:

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf faces an uphill task when it comes to forming a government in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Apart from dealing with an internal struggle over the top slot of provincial chief minister, the party has also been accused of rigging the elections by the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl.

Moreover, Imran Khan faces off against the shrewd Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the race to win over other parties and successful independent candidates to form a coalition government.

The JUI-F chief claimed his party was in touch with the PML-N, Qaumi Watan Party, and the Jamaat-e-Islami as well as independent candidates over the formation of a provincial government.

The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), however, declared on Tuesday that it would honour the PTI’s mandate in K-P. “I will not comment on the aspiration of JUI-F whatever it may be, but would make PML-N’s policy clear that we open-heartedly accept the PTI’s mandate in the province to form a government in K-P,” PML-N senior leader Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan told reporters in Peshawar.

On the other hand, the Qaumi Watan Party is yet to show its cards and pick a side. Meanwhile, the Awami Jamhuri Ittihad Pakistan agreed to be part of coalition with the PTI in K-P.

Power struggle

PTI leaders are said to be divided over the nomination of a chief minister of K-P. The two main contenders for the top slot are the party’s central general secretary Pervez Khattak and provincial president Asad Qaiser, both of whom have their own support base.

Sources said a group headed by provincial general secretary Shaukat Ali Yousafzai is lobbying for Khattak, while Asad is being supported by ideological workers of the party.

Imran Khan is set to announce the K-P chief minister today.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.