KP CM de-notifies Marwat’s brother as aide

PESHAWAR: As speculated for some time, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Friday de-notified his special assistant on science and technology and information technology Khalid Latif Khan.

Khalid Latif Khan is the younger brother of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Member National Assembly Sher Afzal Marwat.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause-2 of Section-3 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisors and Special Assistants to the Chief Minister (Appointment) Act, 1989, the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is pleased to de-notify Mr. Khalid Latif Khan, Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Science & Technology and Information Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On his de-notification from his respective office, he has ceased to hold the Portfolio of Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Science & Technology and Information Technology, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with immediate effect,” an official notification said.

He was neither member of the assembly or expert on science and technology but had managed to get a berth in the cabinet.

There were rumours for some time that Chief Minister Gandapur had received complaints from senior government officials in Peshawar against some of his cabinet members about their alleged involvement in unlawful interference in their work.

Two provincial secretaries who had allegedly written to the chief against MNA Sher Afzal Marwat later clarified their position, saying they had good relations with him and had never lodged any complaint against him.

No PTI leader in the government was willing to speak on the record why Khalid Latif Khan was removed unceremoniously.

Senior PTI leaders, however, told The News on condition of anonymity that they expected the chief minister to remove his special assistant from his position following his recent meeting with the party’s founding chairman Imran Khan in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

“The chief minister was not comfortable with some of his cabinet members but he was helpless to take action against them. In his recent meeting, Imran Khan told him that being the chief minister, he would should make the decisions,” a senior PTI leader privy to the meeting told The News.

He said Imran Khan had asked Ali Amin Gandapur to closely monitor his cabinet members and their activities and authorised him to take action if he found anyone was involved in any misconduct.

Rumour has it that another cabinet member was likely to be removed if he didn’t follow the party line.

Sher Afzal Marwat emerged on the political landscape in the recent past and became a dominant figure in the PTI within no time apparently due to his aggressive behaviour against his opponents.

He managed to arrange political activities when the majority of the PTI leaders went underground following the May 9 violence in the country and motivated the party workers by holding party conventions.

Being a smart and articulate person, he managed to win Imran Khan’s trust.

Many senior PTI leaders have avoided him for reasons best known to them.

The removal of Khalid Latif is stated to be a serious blow to Sher Afzal Marwat.

However, both Sher Afzal and his younger brother Khalid Latif issued statements explaining their position.

They claimed there was nothing wrong with removal of Khalid Latif as special assistant to the chief minister.

“It is submitted that Imran Khan, [founding] chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf has nominated my elder brother Sher Afzal Khan, MNA, as chairman Public Accounts Committee, which is an honour for the Marwat tribe as well as the PTI workers,” Khalid Latif Khan said in a statement.

“Keeping in view of the above, it is therefore, humbly requested that I may kindly be relieved from the post as Special Assistant for Science Technology & Information Technology and the said responsibility may kindly be handed over to any other PTI workers please,” he added.

Sher Afzal Marwat also defended the de-notification of his brother, saying Imran Khan nominated him chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee on March 30.

Marwat, who rose to prominence after his scuffle with a rival politician during a TV talk show, claimed in a statement attributed to him that his brother sent his resignation to the chief minister after his nomination for the PAC.