PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-dominated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly elected Mahmood Khan as the chief minister by an overwhelming majority on Thursday.

Election for the leader of the house was held by division vote.

Speaker Mushtaq Ghani first asked staff members to ringing the bells in the lobby for five minutes before closing the hall’s doors.

He later asked the MPAs supporting opposition candidate Mian Nisar Gul to go to the Lobby-I and those favouring PTI nominee Mahmood Khan to Lobby-II.

During the headcount, Mahmood Khan got 77 and Mian Nisar Gul 33.

Mahmood Khan promises war against corruption, investment in human development

The PTI, which had won an absolute majority in the house in the July 25 general elections, has already grabbed the slots of the assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker.

Before the announcement of the election results, PTI’s MPAs shouted slogans, ‘Allah is great’ and ‘Come, Come PTI Come.’

A graduate from the Agriculture University, Peshawar, Chief Minister-elect Mahmood Khan will be sworn in on Friday.

Provincial Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra will administer oath of office to him.

Mr Mahmood had the portfolio of tourism, sports, irrigation and home in the last provincial government of the PTI.

Mahmood Khan, who belongs to Swat district, is the first politician from Malakand region to become the chief minister.

In his maiden speech, the chief minister-elect thanked all institutions for holding free and fair elections. He thanked PTI chairman Imran Khan and the party for reposing confidence in him.

“We did not come here through unfair means and instead we won election on the basis of our good performance during the last five years,” he said, dispelling the opposition’s impression that the PTI was brought to power by ‘someone else’.

He predicted that the PTI would form the government in this province for the third consecutive time after sweeping the 2023 election. The PTI is the only party to form government in KP for the second consecutive tenure.

The PTI had a coalition government in 2013 with the support of Jamaat-i-Islami and Qaumi Watan Party.

The chief minister-elect spoke briefly in the house and pledged that the new government according to the PTI’s vision would continue to depoliticise government institutions, increase revenue, ensure food security and carry on reforms in health, education and other sectors.

He said he had no objection if anyone wanted to open his constituency for re-counting or re-polling.

“I am ready to open my constituency if anybody is doubtful about the process,” he said.

He said the new government would follow vision and manifestoes of PTI and would continue “jihad” against corruption.

“Our government will continue jihad against corruption and will invest in human development,” he said.

Terming mainstreaming and development of the newly-merged tribal districts a major issue for the new government, Mahmood Khan sought the support of the opposition for addressing problems of the people of erstwhile tribal agencies.

He said the PTI had governments in the centre and KP and therefore, the new federal government would support the province to resolve financial problems.

The CM-elect said his government would continue efforts to increase the province’s share in the National Finance Commission Award and Public Sector Development Programme.

Atmosphere turned tense in the house when parliamentary leaders of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Awami National Party came down heavily on the Election Commission of Pakistan, judiciary and army for their ‘partisan’ role in the July 25 general elections.

MPAs of the PTI snubbed the opposition for passing harsh remarks against institutions.

MMA parliamentary leader and former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani said the opposition was not against the PTI and that the role of ECP, judiciary and army had made election controversial.

He said political forces would continue protest in and outside parliament against rigging and unfair means in elections.

Mr Durrani said billions of rupees were spent on the installation of election result transmission system and CCTV cameras at polling stations but all that collapsed suddenly, while polling agents were expelled from polling stations and Form 45 carrying election results was withheld.

The MMA lawmaker, who lost election against Imran Khan in NA-35, Bannu, insisted that 20,000 government employees were not delivered postal ballots in the constituency and he had lodged complaint with the ECP, but in vain.

He said the opposition would support new government in the province.

Sardar Hussain Babak of the ANP said the party had contested election against the powers, which had planned to bring a specific person to power.

He said anti-democracy forces were not providing space to democratic institutions to flourish, while there was worst kind of media censorship in the country and that only one party was projected.

The ANP leader said the army was not empowered to expel polling agents from polling stations.

“There is undeclared martial law in the country and politicians were victimised in the name of accountability,” he said, adding that even judges had complained that their family members were harassed.

He said the vote should not only be given respect but it should also be protected.

PTI MPA Atif Khan said the opposition parties should realise that Pakistan had changed and 60 per cent youths wanted to change the destiny of the country.

He asked the opposition to accept election results.

Shah Farman of the PTI sought the support of the opposition for the upcoming government and said the genuine demands of the opposition parties would met.

He asked the opposition to accept the people’s verdict in favour of the PTI.

Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha, Sher Azam Wazir, Mian Nisar Gul and other lawmakers also addressed.

The session was later prorogued.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2018

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