POLITICS, they say, is the art of the possible. But think of the unthinkable; the possibility of the impossible. Pervez Khattak — affectionately nicknamed PK — is the aspiring, nay the anointed next chief minister of the 40.8 million people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

What is more, PK does not make any bones about it. “I am the next chief minister”, he declared at one of his recent election rallies in his native Nowshera.

The lanky politician from Manki — a hilly area known for its blood-red oranges to the southeast of Peshawar, not too far from the GT Road — has had a meteoric rise, gathering his political fortune as he was catapulted from being a member of the Nowshera district council in the early 80s to becoming chief minister in 2013, and a federal minister in 2018.

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In the 35 years since taking the plunge, the mercurial 74-year-old has had a bus-ride political career, getting on and off at different political stops with a varying degree of association. His longest association has been with the Pakistan Peoples Party, and lately, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. That is, until he decided to alight again and drive his own bus — the newly-formed PTI-Parliamentarian (PTI-P).

The mercurial 74-year-old has had a bus-ride political career, getting on and off at different political stops — such as the Pakistan Peoples Party, the Muslim League and most recently, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf — before alighting from ‘mass transit’ and choosing to drive his own bus, the PTI-Parliamentarian

His shortest stint was with the Pakistani Muslim League and PPP-Sherpao. However, the government-contractor-turned politician was little known outside KP until his now-incarcerated former leader, Imran Khan, gave him his blessing from his hospital bed to form and lead the party’s first provincial government, following a surprise win in 2013.

An astute politician, Khattak had sensed and seized on the opportunity to stake a claim to the top slot in KP hours before the final results poured into newsrooms. He was the first to reach Shaukat Khanum Hospital to seek the Khan’s nod and was hitting the Motorway well past midnight to reach out to others to prop up his coalition government.

His five years in the chief minister’s office, however, saw him at odds with an impatient party chairman on key policy matters. Mr Khan desperately wanted to showcase KP as a role model, to win over Punjab as a way to reach the PM Office.

The two did not see eye to eye; from launching the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit and devolving powers to the local government through a new legislation, and from matters related to the development programme to deciding the fate of his coalition partners to managing the senate elections. This often led to tense exchanges, with Khattak often threatening to quit, in a bid to win his boss’ reluctant approval.

Further complicating matters for the old school politician was the Khan’s decision to hoist his handpicked chief secretaries to watch over his own chief minister. This didn’t go down well: one chief secretary asked to be replaced before writing a stingy demi-official letter to Khattak, accusing him of interference and holding him responsible for the visibly wide and noticeable “chasm between declared policy and practice”.

A second top bureaucrat had had a similar acrimonious relationship with the provincial chief executive, fighting intrigues before bowing out to let yet another chief secretary take over for the remainder of his stint in office, which was marred by a tense and uneasy relationship.

PK had hoped to return to the office again, as the 2018 results gave the PTI an astounding two-thirds majority in the province. His chairman, though, had had enough of him and tried to nominate his rival from Mardan to lead the province.

Khattak moved swiftly to form his own forward bloc, forcing Khan to choose a compromise candidate, promising to accommodate him in the federal cabinet as minister for interior. The man from Manki relented, but was soon in for a disappointment when he was named to the largely ceremonious office of the defence minister. By his own admission, this decision by the former prime minister continued to rankle in his heart till Khan’s ouster from office.

Known for always being on the right side of the powers that be, the septuagenarian politician made the best of his time in the defence ministry, further cementing his relations with the all-too powerful institution.

This would prove handy. PK was the first to jump the PTI ship in KP and form his own faction by adding the suffix “Parliamentarian” to the party’s name in the wake of the May 9 mayhem. His reward was immediate: he got a big say in the formation of the caretaker government and subsequent transfers and postings. What is more, he has been tipped to become the next chief minister already!

But skepticism abounds, and rightly so. Despite his boasts of being the next chief minister of the province, his nascent PTI-P has only fielded 65 provincial assembly candidates, a large majority of whom are unknown entities. He and his entire family — two sons and a son-in-law — are all contesting from five PA and two NA seats, and face some serious challenge in their home district. The first cousin of his son-in-law, who happens to be his nephew as well, has been nominated on a seat reserved for women.

PK would need 73 votes in a house of 145 to repeat the feat. This is a tall order indeed. He claims he can manage to get thirty of them on his own — which would be nothing short of a miracle for such a nascent party. He is also hopeful that many PTI ticket holders contesting as independents would join him, post elections.

You may think this is impossible, but so says Pervez Khattak — the man for all seasons! It would be a mistake to count him out just yet.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2024

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