ANP, PTI cross swords in Senate

ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party chief Senator Aimal Wali Khan blamed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday for the deteriorating security and economic situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the alleged misuse of billions in the BRT project during the 2018 elections.

He questioned the PTI-led provincial government’s performance since 2013, claiming that while the province’s debt burden was Rs97 billion from 1947 to 2013, it surged to Rs1,500 billion under PTI’s tenure. Aimal warned that if the PTI remained in power until 2028, the debt could reach Rs3,000 billion.

In his speech, he accused the PTI-led provincial government of planning to sell university and educational institution lands. He criticised the PTI for promoting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, Leader of the Opposition and senior PTI leader Syed Shibli Faraz dismissed these accusations and blamed the ANP for its own decline.

Aimal alleged Rs32 billion corruption in the BRT project, claiming the funds were transferred to PTI’s account in the United States through Dubai and returned to Pakistan for use in the general elections. He recalled PTI’s criticism of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro project, saying that the BRT project’s initial budget of Rs14 billion had swelled to Rs100 billion.

Referring to alleged PTI ties with the TTP, Aimal accused the PTI of openly supporting the terrorist group. He claimed that in 2013, a TTP commander had declared that a PTI government would be acceptable to them. He alleged that then-chief minister Pervez Khattak, assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and PTI legislator Shah Farman, with Imran Khan’s endorsement, had invited the TTP to establish offices in Peshawar for “mainstreaming”.

Aimal further accused the PTI of functioning as the political wing of Taliban, claiming it was launched as a project by General (retd) Faiz Hameed. He pointed out that the PTI’s narrative of a foreign conspiracy to oust Imran Khan had shifted, saying that now PTI thanks the US as 61 senators there had advocated for Imran’s release.

Criticising the PTI for its treatment of senators Faisal Saleem and Zarqa Suharwardy Taimour over their support to the 26th Amendment, he called on the party to apologise to them.

Responding, Shibli Faraz dismissed the allegations as an internal party matter. During Aimal’s speech, Shibli urged him to avoid inflammatory remarks, and Chair Saleem Mandviwala advised Aimal against personal attacks. In his speech, Shibli urged Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to pass a resolution for Senate elections to fill Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s vacant seats.

The session was disrupted by a lack of quorum, prompting a 30-minute suspension. Protests from the opposition were also seen due to the absence of ministers, preventing the Question-Hour from proceeding.

Shibli said the Senate and National Assembly’s incomplete statuses raised concern about future legislation. He alleged that former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa’s decisions were predictably against the PTI and Imran Khan. Addressing the Senate, he argued that despite claims of PTI’s irrelevance, the party and Imran remain central topics in political discourse.

Shibli criticised the absence of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa senators and suggested the house was being kept incomplete to avoid having 9-10 PTI senators from the province. He lamented that the election commission was politicised by not implementing the Supreme Court’s reserved seats decision. He questioned the current government’s legitimacy and alleged that the PTI was unjustly criticised despite its three-and-a-half-year tenure. He urged lawmakers to avoid passing amendments that would be problematic in future. Shibli claimed the ANP’s decline was due to its policies, while the PTI had won Khyber Pakhtunkhwa voters’ trust.

The Senate chairman informed members of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s letter regarding Judicial Commission nominations, to which Shibli Faraz responded that consultations were underway. The house also passed the Seed Amendment Bill, 2024, despite the opposition’s request for it to be reviewed by a committee first.