PESHAWAR: Responding to the demand put forward by the tripartite alliance of opposition parties, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani said here on Wednesday that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was ready to step down and hold re-election for local governments in the province if opposition parties tendered resignation from the National and provincial assemblies.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that the government would accept all demands if opposition resigned from the assemblies and also sought resignation from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“Instead of asking us to resign, they should first tender their resignations,” the minister said while reacting to the demand of the three-party alliance, which has launched agitation against the provincial government for alleged rigging in the local government elections.

The alliance comprising Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F, Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party had organised a rally in the provincial capital on Tuesday evening in which the PTI-led coalition government was asked to resign and hold fresh election under caretaker setup.

Minister says PTI ready to step down and hold re-election

Mr Ghani said that the government had kept doors open for negotiations and also announced setting up judicial commission to probe the opposition’s allegations.

He asked opposition parties to come to the negotiation table as the government was ready to address their grievances.

The minister said that politics of agitation was not positive for democracy in the country. He asked opposition parties to abandon protest. He said that government had called all-party conference and opposition parties were invited to it, but they boycotted it.

“The government will participate if opposition convenes its own APC,” Mr Ghani said and criticised the opposition parties for boycotting the budget session. He said boycotting budget session was an insult of the mandate of the people.

The minister said that opposition parties believed in status quo and did not want strengthening of local government system. He said that government had allocated Rs42 billion for local governments in the new budget that would bring big change in the system.

Mr Ghani said that PTI would form government in centre and four provinces on the basis of its performance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if it completed five years term. He alleged that opposition was bent upon to oust PTI government in the province.

The minister accused ANP of violence in the local government election, alleging that it sabotaged peaceful atmosphere in Peshawar valley to manipulate results.

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2015

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