“We had identified three cabinet members but the chairman removed only two which suggests he has favourites in the party" says a legislator. PHOTO: AFP
After the removal of provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai and Chief Minister’s Adviser on Transport Yaseen Khalil over ‘poor’ performance, two more cabinet members are likely to be removed over the same reason, The Express Tribune has learnt.
“I cannot share their names but one is an adviser who had won the May 11 elections as an independent candidate and joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) later while the second recently took oath as a minister,” said a source within the party.
Sources further said the day PTI Chairman Imran Khan inaugurated the Tameer-e-School Programme in the provincial capital, it was decided that portfolios would be withdrawn from cabinet members involved in malpractices.
Regarding Yousafzai and Khalil’s dismissal, a source in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat had said on Thursday that, “We had received several complaints against both members and the decision was taken by the party chief in light of the complaints.”
A 14-member group of disgruntled PTI MPAs formed earlier this year had brought the names of several party members involved in corruption to the chairman’s notice during a meeting last month. They had demanded that those bringing a bad name to the party should be removed from the cabinet, sources said, adding Khan had assured them of taking action and addressing their grievances.
The pressure group had also voiced their disagreement over the reshuffle in the provincial cabinet after five new ministers, three advisers and as many special assistants to the chief minister were inducted in March. The group had serious reservations over the induction of some members.
However, despite having sacked two cabinet members, disgruntled lawmakers are still unhappy and alleged the PTI chief resorted to selective justice by removing Yousafzai and Khalil but sparing PTI’s youth wing representative.
“We had identified three cabinet members but the chairman removed only two which suggests he has favourites in the party. Our strongest reservation was against the one still sitting in the cabinet,” said one of the disgruntled lawmakers while requesting anonymity.
The MPA also said a meeting of the pressure group’s members will be held soon to devise a future strategy, adding the pressure group has taken an oath that they will not tolerate corrupt elements in the cabinet.
“We want to save the party from total collapse as a number of corrupt elements have been pursuing their own agenda and damaging the party’s credibility,” the PTI legislator said.
In November last year, the Qaumi Watan Party pulled out of its coalition with the PTI-led provincial government after two of its ministers were sacked over charges of corruption and poor performance. Former QWP minister Bakht Baidar then moved court seeking Rs1 billion in damages from Imran Khan for maligning his reputation and accusing him of corruption without any evidence. Khan, however, argued Baidar was removed by the chief minister, claiming he himself had nothing to do with the dismissal.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2014.
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