Rifts: MPA Babar Khan lashes out against Shahram, his father

Says Liaquat Tarakai took Senate seat on PTI ticket

SWABI:

After being expelled from the party, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa MPA Babar Khan has asked Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan Chairman Shahram Khan Tarakai to take action against his father for leaving the party and taking a senator seat on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s ticket.

“Instead of ousting me from the party, the AJIP chief should take action against his father Liaquat Tarakai who took PTI’s ticket despite being part of AJIP,” said Babar at a news conference in Swabi on Sunday. “Speaking on the floor of the house through a point of order for not appointing my constituency’s people is not a violation of party discipline, it is rather the right of every MPA.”



He added he would go to the court if AJIP sends a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan for his assembly membership cancellation. “I represent 16,500 supporters, not the Tarakai family,” he said. “I have neither left the party nor violated the assembly rules.”

Reservations

He added after the general elections in 2013, he was ignored when it came to the development funds and later, in Gajju Khan Medical College class-IV employees’ appointment, the people of his constituency were not considered. “The people of Shah Mansoor and Panjpir union councils had the right to be appointed but Shahram appointed his people on 65 seats.”

Similarly, he added, in public health, irrigation and other departments Shahram appointed his own people.



The agitated MPA said he was disqualified from the party for raising his voice against injustice and challenged Shahram to bring the truth out in the open. However, Babar was grateful to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for keeping his constituency, PK-31, in mind when it came to development funds.

Other side

On the flipside, the AJIP spokesperson stated in a press release Babar’s allegations are baseless. “Electing Senator Liaquat Khan Tarakai on PTI ticket was AJIP’s policy and all leaders had given their consent over it,” stated the press release. It also mentioned Babar voted against the party policy in Senate elections and he was expelled from the party because he violated party discipline.

Babar is an MPA from Swabi’s PK-31. He was expelled by the party’s core committee on Saturday for violating party discipline. In reaction to the party leadership’s action, Babar lashed out against Shahram and his father Liaquat Tarakai.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2015.