Jilted QWP minister retaliates with Rs1b suit against Imran

The fallout with the PTI is QWP’s first major challenge in its rather short history.

PESHAWAR:

The dismissed Minister for Industries, Commerce, Labour and Technical Education will file a defamation suit worth Rs1 billion Tuesday against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan over the former’s removal from the provincial cabinet.

Qaumi Watan Party’s (QWP) Bakht Baidar and Ibrar Hussain Tanoli (erstwhile Minister for Forests and Education) were both unceremoniously given the axe over corruption charges. Following which, the QWP lost its share in the provincial government and crossed over to sit with the opposition.

Its fallout with the PTI is QWP’s first major challenge in its rather short history. And given the party’s reaction, it was not anticipating whispers of corruption to snowball into a bigger issue let alone to be shown the door.



“Chief Minister Pervez Khattak is the chief executive of the province and if he had any complaints against me, he should have sought an explanation. Imran Khan has no authority to level allegations against me,” said Bakht Baidar.

His removal has given a bad name to the Pukhtun nation, Baidar claimed, stating his party and he had been insulted. “We are going to file a defamation suit against Imran Khan through our lawyer Babar Khan Yousafzai.”

In all probability, the QWP was expecting the PTI chairman to take the matter up with QWP chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao first; however, Imran did no such thing. Instead, the PTI aimed and fired before any fences could be mended between the two coalition partners.

“We have given Imran Khan 15 days to clarify his position and answer our notice. If he fails to do so, we will consult the superior judiciary and fight my removal from the provincial cabinet in court,” maintained Baidar.



Tanoli also announced that he will be approaching the Supreme Court of Pakistan over his dismissal. According to Tanoli, Imran’s allegations are unsubstantiated and he and Jehangir Tareen will be asked to present irrefutable evidence.

At 40 paces?

Dangling legal action over the PTI, which acted unilaterally in removing one of three coalition partners, and over Imran, who has proven in the past to be less than shy in front of the superior judiciary, seems like a weak rebound on QWP’s part.

Allegations of corruption have only served to trip up the nascent party which still has a long way to go in repackaging itself as a viable, nationalist alternative to the Awami National Party (ANP).

Baidar, however, is less than ready to accept the slight or the axe; highlighting his role as the secretary general of the party, he insists the people of his constituency expect great things from him after his winning in the general elections by a big margin.

On November 13, on the directives of Imran, K-P Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak fired two QWP ministers over charges of corruption –Tanoli and Baidar. Imran Khan also ordered the CM to pull out of the alliance with the QWP in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Soon after the removal of the two ministers, QWP’s provincial chairman and senior minister resigned Sikandar Hayat Sherpao from his post, terming the sacking “discriminatory” as no action had been taken against any PTI ministers.

A day later, Sikandar held a press conference and said he would sit in the opposition benches in the provincial assembly.  Criticizing the provincial government, Sikandar claimed the PTI-led regime failed to fulfil the ambitious agenda they promised during campaigns and are now using the QWP to deflect attention.

QWP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) is scheduled to meet on November 21, wherein its leadership will take stock of the situation.  It is unlikely Aftab Ahmad Sherpao will let this ‘slight’ go unanswered – only time will tell which of two old timers will emerge victorious.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2013.