PESHAWAR, April 6: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has asked NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani to put an end to what it call his attempts to divide and harm the PML-N. Otherwise, a party leader warned, Mr Durrani would have to face the music.”

Talking to journalists at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, the party’s parliamentary leader in the NWFP assembly, Anwar Kamal Khan, said his the PML-N had been supporting the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal since installation of its government in the province and considered it an ally. But the chief minister was taking actions to harm the party. He cited the suspension of Fareedullah Khan, Lakki tehsil nazim, as an act of vendetta. “We will have to expose the dubious transactions of the chief minister and members of his group,” he added.

Mr Kamal said that the nazim by inaugurating a stadium in his constituency in Lakki Marwat had annoyed Mr Durrani because he wanted his name one the plaque outside the stadium. “The same evening the plaque was removed by the district coordinating officer of Lakki Marwat on the orders of Mr Durrani,” he added.

He said that the people of his area had come out on the streets to express their resentment. He said that although Fareedullah Khan was there in his capacity as tehsil nazim but he had nothing to do with the protest.

The PML leader said that police had not registered any FIR against the protesters because they had done nothing illegal. He said the chief minister was known to be fond of putting his nameplates everywhere in the province.

He alleged that some friends of the chief minister had bought hundreds of sheesham trees at throwaway prices (Rs170 each) along the road to Bannu, chopped them and sold the wood at exorbitant prices.

He said: “Everybody knows that the crime rate in Bannu had declined after the chief minister moved to Peshawar. One can compare the number of incidents of kidnapping for ransom and car snatching before and after 2001 from police record.”

Answering a question about the PML-N’s London meeting, Mr Kamal said the party had reiterated its resolve not to deal with people “who had abrogated the Constitution.”

Answering another question he said the NAB had become a tool for the government to force its opponents to change their loyalty.