PESHAWAR: A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader from Hazara division has illegally used the provincial government’s helicopter as part of his campaign for the upcoming PK-62 by-election, sources claim.

PTI divisional president for Hazara division Zargul Khan, who is also political adviser to the chief minister, flew in the provincial government’s chopper to Kohistan district on Friday.

The sources said under the law, the helicopter could be used by the chief minister and governor only.

Minister insists there is nothing unlawful in the entire matter

They said the chopper stopped in Darband and Palas areas of Kohistan, where Mr Zargul addressed public meetings.

“The chopper first landed in Palas area, where he addressed a public meeting,” a source said, adding that the PTI leader using the helicopter later stopped in his native area, Darband, to address a public meeting.

The KP cabinet has earlier this month announced the carving of another district, Koalai-Palas, from Upper and Lower Kohistan districts.

Thereafter, the area’s powerful jirga ordered the incumbent MPA from the local PK-62 constituency, Maulana Asmatullah, of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, to vacate his seat. The lawmaker was quick to comply.

Now, Mr Zargul will contest the by-election for the seat on the PTI ticket.

Though the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to announce the election schedule, The PTI leader is busy electioneering in the area.

Sources said after its use by Mr Zargul, the chopper flew to Gilgit, where KP and Gilgit-Baltistan governments were to sign an accord to resolve a dispute over the ownership of a stretch of land located between Upper Kohistan and Diamer districts of both regions.

The accord signing ceremony, which was scheduled to take place in Shitial area of Kohistan on Friday, was delayed after tribal elders from two tribes failed to reach the remote and mountainous region.

Sources said Mr Zargul flew to Gilgit in the chopper along with special assistant to chief minister for inter-provincial coordination Abdul Haq Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA from Kohistan Abdul Sattar Khan and Upper Kohistan deputy commissioner.

Mr Zargul, an unelected person, was made the political coordinator to the KP chief minister in April last year.

He was tasked with coordinating the chief minister’s political engagements and liaising with leadership of other parties on issues seeking joint efforts.

The sources said under the law, the helicopter could only be used by the chief minister and governor.

They said in June 2013, PTI chief Imran Khan expressed anger at the chief minister for using the same helicopter for a personal purpose.

The sources said after the incident, which happened a month after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was formed in the province, the CM told the KP Assembly that it was not proper for him to use the helicopter and therefore, he would pay the bill from own pocket.

When contacted, public health engineering minister Shah Farman said there was nothing unlawful in the entire matter.

He said Mr Zargul didn’t use the chopper alone as he was accompanied by special assistant to the CM Abdul Haq Khan, who had gone there to discuss the issues related to the KP-GB territory dispute.

“It (dispute) is an important political issue,” he said.

Regarding the stopovers in Palas and Darband areas, the minister said the two had to stop at the two places to talk to local people, who were in discord with each other over the declaration of areas as the district headquarters for three tehsils, whose creation was recently announced by the government.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2017