PHOTO: AFP
Former PTI Charsadda general secretary and tehsil council candidate Advocate Irshad Khan spoke to the media at a joint press conference in a hujra on Sunday. The party’s Charsadda vice president Anwar Taj Khan, provincial youth additional general secretary Adil Khan Haleemzai and others were also present.
Volley of accusations
The panel announced they were still loyal to PTI and would gift their seats to the party if they emerged victorious. Advocate Irshad Khan, while outlining the aims of the panel, alleged the PTI MPA from the region, Muhammad Arif, rigged intra-party elections in the past by using bogus votes.
He accused the MPA, who belongs to Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser’s group, of corruption in purchasing land for a girls college.
Irshad said Arif first acquired the land through his relative and schoolteacher, Subhanullah, from K-P Assembly officer Attaullah at Rs45,000 per marla. He later sold the property to the education department at Rs85,000 per marla, thus making a commission of Rs2 billion. He said copies of documents proving the corruption were sent to Imran Khan and the Ehtesab Commission. He questioned the accountability commission’s complete silence over the issue.
Advocate Irshad said Arif, who is also on the Charsadda District Development Committee, was allowing his relatives to use government vehicles bearing MPA signs and licence plate boards. He said this was against the party’s agenda.
LG polls
Haleemzai also accused Arif of selling LG party tickets.
Arshad Khan, a senior party worker and member of the local parliamentary board, said some PTI stalwarts had no option but to contest local government polls independently as tickets had been sold to newcomers.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2015.
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