Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The five dissident lawmakers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly have apprised Jehangir Tareen of their grievances and main demands at a meeting in Islamabad. The meeting was also attended by Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and Shah Farman, who represented the Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, sources told Daily Times.

According to the sources the meeting was held on the direction of PTI chairman Imran Khan to heed the raising grievance of the five lawmakers, who have boycotted the session budget, calling it discriminatory. Lawmakers Yasin Khalil, Jamshed Mohmand, Qurban Ali Khan, Baber Saleem and Advisor to Chief Minster Shahkeel Ahmad held hour-long negotiations with Jehangr Tareen in Islamabad and informed him about their grievances over the discrimination in 2016-17 budget. Shah Farman and Shahram Khan Tarakai were also present.

Senior member of the dissident MNAs told Daily Times on Tuesday that Jehangir Tareen has called the meeting and Shahram Khan Tarakai and Shah Farman were representing the chief Minster on the occasion. He added that the MPAs were asked in the meeting if all their concern regarding Annual Development Project (ADP) share would be solved effectively. They were also advised to respect the party’s decisions and work positively to avoid causing any strife in the party.

Separately, Pakistan Tehreeki-I-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan called on the dissident MNAs in Islamabad and promised them that their grievances would be addressed soon. Colonel Retired Amir Ullah Marwat told the Daily Times that Imran Khan acknowledged their grievances and assured them their issues would be addressed in near future. When asked about the dissident MPAs of the PTI in provincial assembly, he said that the group has contacted the party, and in the future everyone would sing from the same hymnsheet. He further said that the groups of MANs have had the support of MPAs for any future course of action. He said “we wish the party to earn a good name in the province.”

The MNA s and PMAs have raised identical concerns in a separate meeting with Imran Khan and have effectively urged Khan that some of the PTI ministers, including Chief Minister Pervaz Khattak, has largely maligned PTI’s name and stake in the province through their ulterior motives.