PESHAWAR/KARAK: PTI’s ousted naib nazim of Karak district Maj retired Sajjad Barakwal has alleged that district nazim Omar Daraz ditched him through a no-confidence vote he (nazim) orchestrated with the connivance of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl councillors.

Talking to Dawn here on Monday, he said he was a mole in the eyes of the district nazim. “I plugged all loopholes to misappropriate public funds and was a major hurdle in the way of financial corruption by the nazim and his cronies,” he said.

“The district nazim manipulated the no-confidence move to clear the way for financial embezzlement,” he said, adding the nazim was yet to formally join PTI. “He (district nazim) is trying to stab the party in the back and remove any hurdles to block his attempts to commit corruption,” the ousted naib nazim said.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has 15 members in the district council, while JUI-F has 11 members. The total strength of the district council is 34. Mr Barakwal alleged that through an underhand deal the district nazim manipulated the no-confidence move and had assured JUI-F members that he would bring around PTI members elected on reserved seats to poll votes for the no-confidence move.

Sajjad Barakwal alleges his ex-boss involved in massive corruption

“The nazim, PTI’s seven members elected on reserved seats, an elected member of the party and three independents sided with the JUI-F and voted against me to clear the way for financial corruption in the district,” he said.

He alleged the district nazim sold out development schemes to his cronies. “We had already complained to the party leadership and the provincial government about the district nazim’s corrupt practices.”

He said the provincial government had formed an inquiry committee against the nazim, which was to be conducted by former provincial governor Lt-Gen (retd) Iftikhar Hussain Shah, but it was dropped for unknown reasons. He alleged the nazim had bound all the district government officials to deny any documents to inquiry teams. “I have valid evidence of financial corruption against the nazim,” he added.

“We (PTI members) had also brought no-confidence move against the nazim, but it could not be put to vote due to gimmicks of the district nazim’s brother, MPA Gul Sahib Khan,” he said.

The ousted nazim said the unrest had spread among the party workers after the no-confidence move as the district nazim was trying to ditch the party for his personal gains. He appealed to the PTI chairman Imran Khan to take notice of the murky situation in the district and initiate inquiry against the nazim.

Meanwhile, senior workers and PTI elected members have expressed concern over the act of the party’s councillors to vote against their own party’s district naib nazim, and resolved to take up the issue with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and provincial leadership.

The decision was taken at a meeting held in Karak and attended by adviser to the chief minister on prisons Malik Qasim Khan Khattak, Fareed Khan Tofan, former district president Altaf Qadir Advocate and other senior workers.

They condemned the PTI councillors for voting in favour of the no-trust motion against naib nazim, and demanded that the party’s provincial leadership take stern action against violators of the party discipline by expelling them from the district council.

The workers resented that the development would have repercussions for the party in the upcoming general elections.

Responding to the workers’ queries, Qasim Khattak said he would take up the issue with the chief minister and the provincial leadership to de-seat those councilors who cast votes against the naib nazim.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018

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