PESHAWAR: A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker launched a sharp criticism of his own party’s leadership and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government during a session of the provincial assembly, questioning its performance and calling for a change in strategy regarding the party founder’s release.
Speaking on the assembly floor, Shah Tarab Khan said PTI secured a two-thirds majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of the popularity of the party’s founder, who, he noted, has been in jail for the past three years, while the current party leadership continues to enjoy privileges.
He argued that the provincial government was no longer being taken seriously by the bureaucracy.
“If the government itself is not serious, the bureaucracy will not take it seriously either,” he said.
The PTI lawmaker also criticized the state of public services, claiming that hospitals lacked both doctors and essential medicines and alleging that merit had been undermined in the province.
Shah Tarab Khan further alleged that some members of the current party leadership were not interested in the release of PTI’s founder, claiming they feared losing their influence and benefits if he returned.
He added that if the party leadership had remained committed to its campaign, the founder’s sisters would not have had to take the lead themselves.
The lawmaker also pointed out that no major protest had been held in the past three months, suggesting that the party should adopt a different approach.
He called for the formation of a jirga or negotiation panel to engage with the establishment regarding the release of the PTI founder.
“If jirgas can be formed for other important matters, they can also be constituted for this issue,” he said.
Shah Tarab Khan added that if negotiations were not possible, those responsible should step down and allow others to take charge.
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