PESHAWAR: Though the combined opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is too small to even requisition the Assembly session, it includes experienced lawmakers who exhibited their political maturity during the assembly’s maiden session.
Former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, who also remained federal minister and has wealth of experience, has been elected as opposition leader. He would lead the 32-member opposition benches comprising Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal (MMA), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
After the election of leader of the House at the provincial assembly on Thursday, Akram Khan Durrani felicitated Mehmood Khan and also the speaker and deputy speaker. He said the opposition parties both in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies had taken oath as members of parliament to strengthen and continue the democratic process despite rigged and engineered elections on July 25.
“We are not blaming a particular political party for the alleged rigging but have accused certain institutions of having a hand in results of the elections,” he said. He claimed that about 20,000 government officials in his National Assembly constituency, NA-35 Bannu, were not allowed to cast their votes.
Greeting the chief minister-elect, former provincial minister and the Jamaat-e-Islami MPA from Upper Dir Inayatullah Khan said that Mehmood Khan became the first-ever chief minister from Malakand division. He noted that PTI is the first ruling party to have come into power for second consecutive term with heavy mandate. However, he said he was worried for the new chief minister as to how he would provide 10 million jobs and houses to the people of the province as pledged by the PTI leadership.
“Our party will support the government in good governance, transparency in government departments, and fair and equal distribution of development funds,” the Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker said. He added that being part of the opposition his party would criticise the government for its wrong policies.
Parliamentary party leader of Awami National Party Sardar Hussain Babak, who was elected for third consecutive time from Buner, said the PTI should not make tall claims for defeating veteran politicians in the recent election. He maintained that certain forces had intentionally kept Pakhtun leaders away from the parliament. “These are the same forces who had supported a military dictator against Fatima Jinnah (sister of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and toppled civilian governments in the past,” he said.
He added that an undeclared martial law had been imposed in the country as there was no freedom of press and expression.
Former federal minister and senior parliamentarian Sardar Mohammad Yousuf and Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha of PML-N showed their opposition to the PTI government in the very first session. At the same time though, they announced to support the good steps of the government.
Former provincial minister and parliamentary party leader of Pakistan People’s Party PPP), Sher Azam Wazir also assured the treasury benches that his party would back their positive steps in order to implement their agenda as promised during elections campaign. However, he said they would never allow the PTI to exploit their power for personal gains.
The PPP woman MPA Nighat Yasmin Orakzai, who was elected for the fourth time to provincial assembly, staged a walk-out when she was not given time to speak on the floor of the assembly.
