Giving clarifications: Two QWP lawmakers deny horse-trading allegations

The MPAs from Charsadda and Haripur address media; say they are loyal to the party.

HARIPUR/ CHARSADDA: Two Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) MPAs, Sultan Muhammad Khan and Gohar Nawaz Khan, from Charsadda and Haripur, respectively have denied being involved in malpractice in the Senate elections held earlier this month.

Speaking to journalists in Charsadda on Sunday regarding the show-cause notice issued to him, Sultan Muhammad Khan insisted he had complied with the party’s instructions and was not involved in any horse-trading. “I have remained loyal to the party,” he said.



According to the MPA, he is ready to assure his loyalty to the party. “The QWP leadership has the authority to ask me anything regarding my conduct during the Senate elections and I am willing to clear my position whenever the party wants me to,” he said.

Sultan was elected from PK-18, Charsadda-II in the 2013 general elections.

Vote buying

QWP MPA Gohar Nawaz Khan has also vehemently denied selling his vote in the Senate elections. Speaking to journalists in Haripur, the parliamentarian clarified he had voted for his own party’s candidate and had not violated party policies.

“I have not sold my vote,” he said. “I cannot betray my voters in this manner. My supporters expect me to uphold the principles of democracy and morality. I cannot let them down by indulging in such practices.”

Moreover, Gohar Nawaz said he had not received a show-cause notice from the party’s chief. “If the party wanted me to clarify the matter, they would have contacted me directly,” he said.

When asked if he stands the risk of losing his seat, Gohar said he will let his electorate decide his future course of action.



Gohar is the younger brother of the late ANP MPA and former transport minister Akhtar Nawaz Khan. He contested as an independent candidate in the 2013 elections and subsequently joined QWP.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2015.