PTI seeks PPP alliance to strengthen KP coalition government
QWP's ouster from KPK has led to turn of events as PTI seeks PPP alliance in KPK for firm footing
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has sought to join hands with PPP to affirm its position as ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. PTI took decision in response to Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) position to abandon PTI over its stance on Panama case. PTI has 69 MPA seats and is supported through ally Jamaat-e-Islaami (JI) with seven seats in their pocket to establish coalition governement. KP assembly houses 123 members on provincial level.
The remaining 55 seats belong to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) with 16 MPAs each, QWP with 10, PPP with six, Awami National Party with five and two independent lawmakers.
In the meantime, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has launched efforts to convince PPP to join the coalition and has also tasked party leaders to convince the vexed members and address the aggravations. In failure to do so, the CM could face problems in case opposition parties move a no-confidence motion against him as the situation depicts that several of his own party members are unhappy with him and have already submitted complaints to party chief Imran Khan. A senior PTI leader, on basis of anonymity, told a local media house that after QWP’s departure, PTI leaders were planning to contact PPP, which has six seats.
In order to convince its MPAs to join the ‘dwindling’ coalition, the PTI leader stated that the pipeline was in work as Khattak has been trying to use his old sources, elaborating that four cabinet seats are lying vacant and the CM has reserved them for members of new parties that join the coalition.
PPP MPA Syed Muhammad Ali Shah told reporters that PTI has not contacted his party members yet to join the coalition but if they do, the party will decide after discussing the matter internally.
On the other hand, PPP lawmaker Fakhar Azam Wazir said that he thought it was unlikely that the PPP would join the KP government in the last year of its tenure. The final decision will be taken by party leaders, he added.
Citing the reason of differences, the PTI leader clarified the in-house situation that Minister for Education Atif Khan and Minister for Health Shahram Tarahkai were disgruntled with the CM on the distribution of development funds. He added that in order to deal with the ‘in-house’ situation, the party’s leadership has tasked Senator Liaqat Tarahkai and Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to persuade the disgruntled members.
