• Barrister Saif claims three-member committee probed allegation against former cabinet member
• Ex-C&W minister Shakeel has accused provincial govt of ‘embezzlement’
• Sher Afzal Marwat meets Imran in Adiala

ISLAMABAD: The provincial minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been fired for alleged corruption on the directions of PTI founder Imran Khan, the adviser to KP Chief Minister on Information, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif claimed on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Shakeel Ahmad Khan, the former minister for communication and works, has accused the provincial government of embezzlement. He also claimed to have “resigned” from the cabinet and insisted he was not removed.

Mr Saif, who met the PTI founding chairman in Adiala Jail on Saturday, said detailed discussions were held on the decision to remove Mr Shakeel from the cabinet.

“Following the PTI founder’s instructions, a [video] message was conveyed to workers, officials, and cabinet members,” he said.

Mr Saif said a committee, formed by the PTI founder, had investigated the remove corruption allegations against Mr Shakeel.

Mr Khan “personally selected” the committee members — Shah Farman, Qazi Muhammad Anwar and Musaddiq Abbasi — and they compiled the report based on all statements and evidence, Mr Saif said.

After the report was presented to the chief minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, the process of dismissing the minister was carried out.

While sharing the details of his meeting with the incarcerated PTI founder, Mr Saif claimed he expressed concerns over corruption in the provincial government.

“The PTI founder emphasised that there would be zero tolerance for corruption, and it was in this context that the committee was formed.”

Mr Saif said the same committee would also compile reports after investigations in the future, and decisions would be made based on them.

He added that he was conveying Mr Khan’s message to party workers to submit any complaints or concerns to the committee.

The PTI founder also expressed displeasure over attempts to create an impression of divisions within PTI on social media.

He has directed workers not to be part of any group and “stay united”.

“The PTI founder also instructed that those attempting to create discord and factionalism within the party should be thwarted,” Mr Saif said while quoting the incarcerated leader.

Diverging from manifesto Mr Shakeel said he has “resigned” due to differences with the provincial government, which he accused of “bad governance and ignoring PTI’s manifesto”.

In his resignation letter addressed to the governor — which also circulated on social media on Friday night, Mr Shakeel noted he was quitting the cabinet position with “great disappointment”.

Listing the grounds for his resignation, he claimed that the provincial government has compromised on the basic principles and commitments made by the PTI with the voters during the election campaign.

“The people voted in favour of PTI on its anti-establishment stand, but the provincial government has taken a step backwards from its principled stance,” he said.

The former minister also claimed bad governance and corruption “at all levels of the provincial government” destroyed the image of the PTI in the eyes of party workers. “I offer myself before accountability at all forums.”

Meeting with Marwat

Meanwhile, PTI MNA Sher Afzal Khan Marwat also met with the in Adiala Jail on Saturday.

This was their first meeting in three months.

Mr Marwat, the firebrand PTI leader, was removed from the party’s core committee in the wake of infighting, as many members were unhappy with his unrestrained attitude and habit of openly speaking against his party colleagues.

After meeting Mr Khan, Mr Marwat told journalists outside Adiala Jail that “there was an exchange of complaints from both sides”.

He claimed that he was putting aside his disagreements with the party, following orders and assurances from the party founder.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024