Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Negating Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s claim that all parliamentarians of his party had submitted their resignations to him, PTI’s Member National Assembly (MNA) Dawar Khan Kundi said on Wednesday neither he nor any other lawmaker had handed over his resignation to the party chief.

During the party’s central executive committee (CEC) meeting on Tuesday, the PTI chairman had claimed that all of his party lawmakers had submitted their resignations to him which will be used at an ‘appropriate’ time.

In his brief chat with Daily Times, Kundi said, “Khan speaks out whatever comes into his mind. Though I could not attend the CEC meeting held on Tuesday, but I can confirm that no resignations were handed over to Khan.”

Wondering that how the PTI chairman was running his party, he questioned why he would tender his resignation when people of his constituency had got him elected to get their pressing problems such as the issue of shortage of drinking water resolved. Moreover, tendering resignation is an ‘undemocratic’ step, he added.

“We’re working for strengthening of parliament but our leader is cursing the same parliament. I vehemently condemn the resignation claim,” he remarked.

Kundi said that the potable water issue continues to haunt the people of two southern districts of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister was the main hurdle in resolution of the issues of the area. “Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has understanding with the chief minister and he has asked Khattak not to interfere in the affairs of these two districts,” he claimed.

Another factor that has hampered the resolution of long pending issues of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank is that the chief minister didn’t bother even a single time to visit the districts during his four-and-a-half-year rule in the province, Kundi noted. “he often visits Nowshera, Mardan, Swat, Swabi and Kohat but he has no time to come to Dera Ismail Khan and Tank because he has a deal with the JUI-F leader,” he claimed.

Kundi said that they had approached the PTI chairman with proofs regarding an ‘understanding’ between KP chief minister and JUI-F leader but he too supported Khattak. “We don’t have drinking water in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank while just yesterday the PTI government has given 100 water supply schemes to Swat,” he said. To a statement by PTI chairman that the family of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was issuing threatening statements against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Supreme Court but people would not accept their dictatorial mindset, Kundi asked why the NAB was not being allowed to work in KP. “While anti-corruption process is at a standstill in KP, Imran Khan is always seen talking about accountability in Punjab,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, January 25^th 2018.