“This should be a clear warning for all our ministers and MPAs and the PTI cannot have as a coalition partner from any party that tolerates corruption,” says PTI chairman Imran Khan. PHOTO: REUTERS
Internal crisis in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government reached a climax on Wednesday when the PTI chief Imran Khan directed Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak to part ways with coalition partner Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).
Following the order, the chief minister fired two cabinet colleagues – Industries, Commerce and Labour Minister Bakht Baidar and Forest and Environment Minister Haji Ibrar Hussain of the QWP on charges of corruption.
“The QWP was given two warnings about the corruption of two of its ministers but the party chose to tolerate corruption and instead showed its displeasure at the corruption being pointed out by boycotting the provincial cabinet meetings,” Imran said in a statement.
Imran also stated that the PTI was elected on a mandate against corruption and there was zero tolerance for any form of corruption.
“This should be a clear warning for all our ministers and MPAs and the PTI cannot have as a coalition partner from any party that tolerates corruption,” he stated.
Following the dismissal, Senior Minister for Irrigation and Power Sikandar Sherpao also resigned in protest. Talking to The Express Tribune, Sherpao said the QWP ministers were targeted for the corruption of PTI ministers.
“The PTI is not redressing the Pukhtun problems as their attitude is not serious because they are receiving direction from Bani Gala,” he said adding that he would also hold a news conference to make revelations about the PTI government on Thursday (today).
As the PTI parted ways with the QWP – the party whose ten MPAs will now sit on opposition benches – JUI-F is all set to contact all opposition parties including the QWP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for piling up more pressure on the PTI government in the K-P.
Reactions
The PPP MPA Nighat Orkazai said Imran Khan had no powers to dismiss other parties’ ministers.
ANP leader K-P Assembly Sardar Hussain Babak said “Imran has spared his own people and targeted only one party that gives rise to many questions.”
PTI’s minister unseated
PTI minister Yousuf Ayub Khan was de-notified as minister for communication after the SC declared him disqualified in a fake degree case.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2013.
COMMENTS (59)
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@Abid P. Khan: Maybe he can stay in one of mian sahib's 4 park lane apartments in london?
@rizwan: "...well done IK – be honest or go home." . Back to that tiny flat in London which Auntie Jemima bought for him?
We really appreciate it, Well Done , Say no to corruption,
The fact is that PTI's government is gradually proving itself a miserable failure. All PTIs ministers including the CM Pervez Khattak were also the ministers or part of ruling coalitions in preveious governments and well known for their alleged corrupt practices. Imran keeps only a tunnel vision of things around. He did his best to find "electable candidates" even if with corrupt past to get into power. How the party tickets of PTI were sold is a story that many insiders know (Read Hafeezullah Niazi's columns). Imran is only seeking an exit door by parting ways with the coalition partners to escape the label of incompetency and inefficiency that his party is earning in the province.
@Muslim leaguer
According to Your logic, Crow is white
@Muslim leaguer
Crow is white
The fact remains that QWP had voted against PTI's candidates in Prime Minister election in May and Presidential election in July 2013 http://khybernews.tv/newsDetails.php?cat=3&key=Mzk5ODQ= Why Imran Khan has always failed to take action against corruption allegations on his own Ministers. He even remained mysteriously silent against the proven fake degrees (forgeries) of his own party leaders including Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Ayla Malik, Yousaf Ayub Khan until they were all disqualified by Courts!
damned if you do, damned if you don't - firing corrupt ministers should be appreciated, not considered as crisis
Thank you IK , this is the first time this Nation has ever witness an impartial move against corruption. There was a room to ignore it for the sake of political harmony and number strengthen in KPK but you rose up to your honest reputation. This nation had made some wrong choices in recent election which they would regret in few years time.
Job well done . This was long over due ...
It's not crises! It's improvement, and usually when you fire someone you have a backup plan in place! ET when are you going to start portraying the right picture!
Imran Khan want to become a political martyr...due to failure of PTI government’s in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Way to go IK! I still dont get why people support other parties? Seriously, has PMLN ,PPP or MQM ever fired ministers on corruption? And please, dont even start the argument that "none of these parties have corrupt tycoons." because if you do, you probably live under a rock. So if you oppose PTI, I'll just assume you either like living under corruption, or you're one of the people who is actually benefiting from the rampant corruption in our government. Pakistani nation is the unluckiest for not electing this guy.
This action is testament to the fact that PTI has no lust for power. Corruption will not be tolerated even if it means PTI's KPK govt falls !
Take a bow, Imran. Don't worry about your critics. They will keep assailing you over the most trivial things; because they themselves are so insecure. Good job, dude.
Power of ET.....yesterday PTI N IK WERE heroes n today they r losers.....great.....
three words for u ET Get a Life.....the hero is portrayed as a zero .....y is that much importance given to the critics.....views of opponents r published n what abt the allies of PTI.....
Havent heard of something like that. Governments are formed on the very basis of corruption here. Mad respect.
He just wanted to balance out his own ministers disqualification due to edicational corruption of getting a fake degree for which a bribe was paid. But as per pti their ministers are clean
ET can any news negative... i believe its proud moment for everyone who voted for PTI.
well done IK - be honest or go home.
I am surprised. No comments here??? Maybe anti PTI elements not happy with such progressive movement.
Nice job IK. But NS will take them as per their mandate.
History has been created by PTI. No government has ever broken a coalition due to corruption. How about that for a change?
ET can you please tell us all why is this a 'Crisis in your opinion' its a good news in fact that PTI is heading towards right side, so is KPK.
Awesome, this is what you call a change, LOVE you IK love you PTI
Well done.
No other leader would have done this (as they are all corrupt themselves).
It does not matter if you lose power in KPK Imran, you are a man of principal.
Pakistan Zindabad
JUI)F) will stage a coup and line up PPP,ANP.Sherpao and PML-N and form Government in KP.This indeed will be a sad day
so why arent they being tried in court for corruption? and being sent to prison if convicted? steal as much as you want till you're fired seems like a rather nice job.
This is what I voted for "Transparency" Well done Pti
We are with you Khan, you have taken a difficult but a right decision. PPP and ANP in previous tenure accepted all sort of corruption. You made the difference and we call it CHANGE
Thank you PTI for giving us hope! A real change in politics. Just imagine if PTI wasn't in the political scenery at all!
This is no crisis, we the people of KP are very happy with them gone. Even though JI may not have the right policies, they are working on PTI agenda and making things happen especially Finance Minister, Siraj Ul Haq, what a simple man that guy is. Hats off to PTI and IK for doing self accountability. Promises being fulfilled one by one.
Dil kush kerdita, Jeo shera Imran Khan! Lots of love from Peshawar.
It sounds as if the Tribune does not like ministers to be dismissed for corruption.
Sad that instead of congratulating, you are saying that this is a crisis. There is no crisis ...just what each party should be doing - removing corruption in the system.
Well done PTI.
IK is not it the beginning of the end.KP is very rough and tough to manage.
ET Stop calling this news as a crisis. Hail this decision for it will benefit Pakistan not anyone else. Please learn some ethics. Please.
Very good. Very good. Very good.
Good move. Wish I had voted for pti instead of the fake sher.
A true leader. A national hero. That's all I have to say.
Nobody can eliminate corruption from our society let alone in 90 days. After failing to do so, IK and PTI are trying to look like victims when they lose their majority in the KPK. IK and PTI are not PPP which always does better in opposition than when in power. Victimhood may be written all over PTI in a few weeks. Firing a few other party members is one thing and accountability is another. Let us put the corrupt in jail and bring them to justice if we are true to our words.
There is no crisis. Pti has sufficient numbers to remain in power without qwp. There are rumors of a forward block of ppp in kp
Great Job Imran Khan - True Leader.
9 more on the list in coming days. Great Job PTI/IK another promised delivered another banchmark set!
PTI minister Yousuf Ayub Khan was disqualified in September, what is the reason of plugging this info in this article? E.T. has an infantile attitude towards Imran Khan, its good that his comments sting where they should.
Action when needed, not 'politics of co operation' that PML-N loves touting about. This is the need of the hour.
ET says its a Crises but in reality its a historical move by CM KPK to fire two sitting ministers. its first time in kpk history.
The only honest leader in this country
your headline is wrong ET because its a good thing that CM KPK have taken action against Two QWP Ministers & One PTI Minister. hope others govts will follow this trend