Game of throne(s): K-P Assembly without co-pilot for over a month
Wrangling within PTI has delayed appointment of deputy speaker.
PESHAWAR:
Over a month has passed since the resignation of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly deputy speaker, however, bickering within the ranks of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has kept the government from filling the void.
Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi resigned on October 15 after he was made the minister for law and transferred to the Ministry of Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights. Sources privy to the matter told The Express Tribune the vacancy has become the subject of a tug of war between three groups.
“There are various pressure groups inside the party, nagging the chief minister for the seat,” added one insider.
The power struggle has added to the woes of the government which has not been able to pacify all the groups and come to a solution.
The competitors
So far there are three contenders for the post.
The running favourite, who has the weight of the party behind him, is Special Assistant to CM for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Arif Yousaf. Sources said Yousaf was promised the position after Qureshi was transferred. Meanwhile Dina Naz from Karak, another PTI lawmaker, has emerged as the second candidate vying for the seat.
Mehmood Jan, a PTI MPA from Peshawar, has also joined the race. Qureshi belonged to a disgruntled group within the party and now Jan, who is also a member of this group, has also begun lobbying for the vacated deputy speaker post.
It is said Jan plans to go full throttle to cross the finish line first. He has requested the opposition to vote for him during the polling in the house, an opposition leader requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune.
However, Yousaf told The Express Tribune the PTI leadership reserves the right to decide upon merit. He added the delay has been caused by issues like the no-confidence motion against the chief minister and hoped a new deputy speaker will be appointed by the next session.
The wild card
On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentary leader Syed Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha is also being touted for the seat. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha said the issue of the appointment was actually raised by the opposition at the start of the previous session, however, it could not be pursued due to thin attendance.
Nalotha said Speaker Asad Qaiser had assured opposition leaders the process will be undertaken as per the rules of procedure, adding the opposition will discuss this issue in a meeting on Monday (today). He said the opposition will pitch a unanimous candidate for the post.
He alleged the government fears it will lose out because of the secret balloting. “Given the strife in their ranks, they are bound to lose the elections,” he added.
Not the first solo flight
Under the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) rule, the K-P Assembly had remained without a deputy speaker for approximately one and half years. This was after the then deputy speaker Ikramullah Shahid resigned in March 2006, following a controversy over him not voting for treasury benches candidates in Senate elections. The seat of deputy speaker ended up remaining vacant for the rest of the government’s tenure.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2014.
Over a month has passed since the resignation of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly deputy speaker, however, bickering within the ranks of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has kept the government from filling the void.
Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi resigned on October 15 after he was made the minister for law and transferred to the Ministry of Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights. Sources privy to the matter told The Express Tribune the vacancy has become the subject of a tug of war between three groups.
“There are various pressure groups inside the party, nagging the chief minister for the seat,” added one insider.
The power struggle has added to the woes of the government which has not been able to pacify all the groups and come to a solution.
The competitors
So far there are three contenders for the post.
The running favourite, who has the weight of the party behind him, is Special Assistant to CM for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Arif Yousaf. Sources said Yousaf was promised the position after Qureshi was transferred. Meanwhile Dina Naz from Karak, another PTI lawmaker, has emerged as the second candidate vying for the seat.
Mehmood Jan, a PTI MPA from Peshawar, has also joined the race. Qureshi belonged to a disgruntled group within the party and now Jan, who is also a member of this group, has also begun lobbying for the vacated deputy speaker post.
It is said Jan plans to go full throttle to cross the finish line first. He has requested the opposition to vote for him during the polling in the house, an opposition leader requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune.
However, Yousaf told The Express Tribune the PTI leadership reserves the right to decide upon merit. He added the delay has been caused by issues like the no-confidence motion against the chief minister and hoped a new deputy speaker will be appointed by the next session.
The wild card
On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentary leader Syed Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha is also being touted for the seat. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha said the issue of the appointment was actually raised by the opposition at the start of the previous session, however, it could not be pursued due to thin attendance.
Nalotha said Speaker Asad Qaiser had assured opposition leaders the process will be undertaken as per the rules of procedure, adding the opposition will discuss this issue in a meeting on Monday (today). He said the opposition will pitch a unanimous candidate for the post.
He alleged the government fears it will lose out because of the secret balloting. “Given the strife in their ranks, they are bound to lose the elections,” he added.
Not the first solo flight
Under the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) rule, the K-P Assembly had remained without a deputy speaker for approximately one and half years. This was after the then deputy speaker Ikramullah Shahid resigned in March 2006, following a controversy over him not voting for treasury benches candidates in Senate elections. The seat of deputy speaker ended up remaining vacant for the rest of the government’s tenure.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2014.