JI-PTI coalition: Jamaat-e-Islami to get 3 K-P ministries

Munawar Hasan visits Imran Khan in hospital, says QWP will also be part of coalition.

PESHAWAR/ LAHORE:

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), which has secured seven seats in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, announced on Wednesday that it will be joining forces with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to form a coalition government in the province.

The development comes after JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan paid a visit to ailing PTI Chairman Imran Khan at Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital on Wednesday to enquire about his health. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hasan said his party would be given three ministries: finance, education and usher and zakat.

He said Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Watan Party will also be a part of the coalition and will also get three ministries and there would be one senior minister each from JI and QWP.

JI Secretary Information Anwar Niazi told The Express Tribune that, “Both the leaders discussed the plan to form a coalition government in K-P. JI and PTI are going to form a coalition government and the modalities of it were also discussed at the meeting.”

According to a senior member of the QWP, they were tilted towards PTI and “contact has been made by the top leadership of both parties. However, we are waiting for a formal announcement by the PTI chief”.

Meanwhile, in order to have a stronger negotiating hand with political parties, independent provincial assembly candidates from K-P also formed a ‘united front’, representing at least 8 MPAs out of a total of 13.



Addressing a press conference, independent MPA Israrullah Gandapur said, “Political parties have individually made contact with almost all independent candidates regarding joining their parties but we have unanimously decided to go into the assembly under the united front platform,” he said, adding that “soon a committee will be formed with the task to negotiate with other parties.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.