PTI leader Pervaiz Khattak elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominee Pervaiz Khattak was elected as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on Friday.

Khattak is the 26th chief minister of the assembly and bagged 84 votes. His main opponent from Jamiat-e-Ulmea Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) gathered 37 votes.

Prior to the voting, Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) candidate for the post withdrew his papers in favour of Khattak.

Opposition leader

PML-N is likely to get the leader of the opposition slot in the ass
embly.

Sources privy to developments in the PML-N confirmed the party was now manoeuvring to secure the opposition leader’s slot.

“Even PTI, the leading coalition partner in the KP Assembly, has been requested by the PML-N’s leadership to support its candidate for the post,” said an insider.

According to parliamentary procedure, the assembly speaker will ask the opposition benches to submit a name for the opposition leader’s slot. Following this, the opposition parties will come to a consensus and submit a name. In case there is no consensus, the speaker has the discretion to name a person for the post after evaluating the developing scenario himself.

18th amendment limits cabinet size

ISLAMABAD, May 16: The days of forming large cabinets at centre and in provinces to keep everybody happy are over because of restrictions imposed by two articles inserted into the constitution by the 18th amendment, which have become effective for the first time after the May 11 elections.

The constraint will test accommodating skills of political parties which are in a position to form governments, particularly in the three smaller provinces, because they will have very little to offer to their coalition partners or will have to sacrifice key ministries to make alliances.Article 92 of the constitution says about federal cabinet: “… the total strength of the Cabinet, including Ministers of State, shall not exceed eleven per cent of the total membership of Majlis-i-Shoora (Parliament).”

After the enforcement of the article, the strength of federal cabinet cannot exceed 49 members because the total membership of parliament comes to 446 (342 MNAs and 104 senators). Since the PML-N has acquired sufficient strength to form government on its own at the centre and in Punjab, it will face no problem in forming cabinets there.

But the amendments may make the process of government formation difficult in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to political observers.

Article 130(6) of the constitution, which deals with the strength of provincial cabinets, says: “… the total strength of the Cabinet shall not exceed 15 members, or eleven per cent of the total membership of a provincial assembly, whichever is higher.”

According to this formula, chief ministers of Balochistan and KP can have a cabinet of 15 members at most while the size of the Sindh cabinet cannot exceed 19 members.

If the 11 per cent formula is applied, a 41-member cabinet can be formed in Punjab because its assembly has 371 members.

Political observers believe that the process of government formation in the three smaller provinces, particularly in Balochistan which always has a coalition government, has now become difficult.

Despite having the smallest assembly in terms of its strength, Balochistan has always had a large cabinet as compared to other provinces. There were more than 50 members, out of a total of 65 MPAs, in the previous cabinet, headed by Nawab Aslam Raisani.

Sindh and KP also had large cabinets because their ruling parties had to give a major share in the ministries to their coalition partners.

Imran wants vote recount in four NA constituencies

LAHORE, May 15: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan asked the Election Commission (ECP) on Wednesday to order recounting of votes, with forensic examination of voters’ thumb impressions, in four constituencies of the National Assembly “to regain public confidence in the elections”.

In a video message from his hospital bed played at a press conference here on Wednesday, he said rigging might have taken place in 25 constituencies of the National Assembly and urged the ECP to address his party’s concerns before announcing results.

About the post-poll scenario, he said his party would form government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and play the role of opposition at the centre.

The verification of voters’ thumb impressions would help identify rigging, satisfy those protesting against it and discourage such practices in future, he added.

On the basis of research, he said, the PTI believed the recounting with verification of thumb impressions would take only two
days.

The PTI chief said the whole exercise of using computerised national identity cards, photographs and thumb impressions of voters would become futile if not used to verify results

Mr Khan said it was the first time that people had come out in such a large number to cast votes after standing in queues for hours.

The confidence of new voters would be shaken if the ECP refused to allay their concerns, he said, and added that the verification of results would strengthen democracy.

Although the PTI chief called for recounting in four NA constituencies, Ejaz Chaudhry, president of the Punjab chapter of the party, called for recounting in six constituencies — NA57 (Attock), 110 (Sialkot), 122 and 125 (Lahore), 154 (Lodhran) and 239 (Karachi).

The party’s General Secretary, Dr Yasmin Rashid, gave a three-day deadline to the ECP to accept the request for recounting.
Otherwise a party meeting would be convened to work out a protest plan.

Dr Yasmin dismissed PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s request to Mr Khan to bury the hatchet and said the differences between the two leaders were of a political nature, and not personal. “There will be no friendly match. The PTI will continue its political struggle.”

However, Imran Khan said they had severe differences with the PML-N but the elections were over and now every stakeholder, including the PTI, wanted to move ahead.

He said people wanted all stakeholders to sit together and steer the country out of crisis.

He described terrorism as the main problem facing the country and said without eradicating the menace, prosperity could not even be dreamt of.

Mr Khan said the PTI would work with the federal government and army to resolve the issue of terrorism in KP. “I have talked to Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani about the issue of terrorism,” he added.

“My party will translate its vision of “New Pakistan” in KP by transforming it into a model province, revamping its public institutions and police system and reviving local bodies’ system,” Imran Khan said.

AFP adds: Mr Khan vowed to cooperate with incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif on terrorism and other major challenges.
“We have decided that despite severe differences that we have, we will work together to resolve major national problems, including terrorism.”

He said he wanted all politicians and the military to sit down together and find a solution to terrorism.

Musharraf planning to leave country soon: Ijaz

LAHORE, May 15: Retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, who is being tried in a number of cases of serious nature and detained at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse sub-jail, will leave the country before the swearing-in of the new government, says PML-Z chief and MNA-elect Ijazul Haq.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr Haq said his party would support the PML-N in formation of the new government at the centre.

The PML-Z leader, who won the NA-191 Bahawalnagar seat, said he had taken the decision in national interest.

Mr Haq, who also contested from NA-190 but lost to PML-N’s Tahir Bashir Cheema, accused his rival of poll rigging and said he would move the Election Commission of Pakistan.

In reply to a question about Gen Musharraf’s future, he said the former president would leave the country before the new government took charge in Islamabad.