PESHAWAR: Former chief minister and provincial president of Awami National Party Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has expressed serious reservations about the functioning of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission (KPEC), established by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government, alleging that the accountability body is being used ‘to dishonour’ political opponents.

“But we didn’t expect anything good either. We would continue our legal and political struggle despite baseless allegations,” said Mr Hoti who along with his party office-bearers held a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Sunday to counter what he called an ongoing media campaign to malign his party through ‘planted’ stories regarding possible arrests of the ANP leaders by the commission on the charges of corruption.

Adviser to the former CM Hoti, Syed Masoom Shah, was arrested on Aug 12 by the National Accountability Bureau on the charges of having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Senator Sitara Ayaz, who was social welfare minister in the ANP government, sitting beside Mr Hoti complained of being harassed by the KPEC.

Even when ANP was in power between 2008 and 2013 Mr Hoti’s adviser Syed Masoom Shah was nicknamed as ‘SMS’, and ‘easy-load’ was propagated by political opponents to hit at the alleged corruption during their tenure. However, ANP remained quiet over such remarks.

Former CM vows to continue legal, political struggle despite allegations

“It was our mistake. We should have done something to dispel that misperception then, but we were too engaged in serious issues like countering terrorism,” said the ANP provincial head. However, he said that he could no longer sit quiet since for the last two months the ANP leaders were being humiliated through a ‘media trial’ before the trial. He said that stories were being ‘planted’ to create an impression that soon ANP leaders would be arrested.

“ANP is going to take legal course of action against the print and electronic media defaming our party through baseless allegations,” he said.

Mr Hoti said that his party was in favour of accountability and it was not uncommon as those who had remained on responsible positions could be asked by the accountability bodies. He said that he had declared his assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan during the election.

The ANP leader said that not only opposition, but the government MPAs were also opposing the Ehtesab Commission bill when it was tabled and pointed out lacunas in it. He said that his party was going to take legal opinion to challenge the KPEC law.

“We feel that PTI has made this commission to neutralise people inside the party and hit at the political opponents,” the former chief minister said, adding that PTI’s sitting minister Ziaullah Afridi, arrested by the commission, had also levelled charges against the provincial government.

He said that no political party, bureaucrat or politician had been so much defamed like the ANP leaders. He cited how no one held media trial of QWP chief Aftab Sherpao whose NAB case was recently closed after 10 years of investigation.

Mr Hoti claimed that some recordings which had surfaced clearly showed how the Ehtesab Commission was forcing people to speak against the ANP leaders. He cited the example of how he was being implicated in allotment of a plot to a private university, but the PTI chairman ignored the fact that the ANP government in the same tenure gave 50-kanal plot free of cost for Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. He said that land was also given to brother of the KPEC DG retired Lt-Gen Hamid Khan having share in the private hospital.

Mr Hoti alleged that the commission was forcing the arrested staffers to give statements against Sitara Ayaz. Ms Ayaz added that the DG gave a very absurd reason when she asked him why the commission was targeting her. “I just want to do it (ye meri zid hay),” is what the DG replied, according to Ms Ayaz.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2015

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