RAWALPINDI: All MNAs from Rawalpindi district were given ministries in the Imran Khan-led government, except the MNA from Murree.

PTI won five seats in the Rawalpindi district, including by Ghulam Sarwar Khan from NA-63 Taxila and NA-59 rural Rawalpindi, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed from NA-62 Rawalpindi city, Aamir Mehmood Kiani from NA-61 Rawalpindi Cantt and Sadaqat Abbasi from Murree.

According to an initial list issued by the PTI, Ghulam Sarwar Khan was given the portfolio of petroleum minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was given the railways ministry and Aamir Mehmood Kiani the health ministry.

Sadaqat Abbasi is an old PTI worker who was earlier the district president and ran party affairs for seven years as PTI Punjab north president from 2007 to 2014.

He also defeated former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in his strong hold of Murree in the last general elections but was not given a portfolio in Imran Khan’s first cabinet.

A senior PTI leader told Dawn that it was expected that the party will appoint old workers in the cabinet but it only brought in those people who had joined from the PML-Q.

“Ghulam Sarwar was a minister in the PML-Q cabinet as was Sheikh Rashid Ahmed during Musharraf’s tenure,” he said.

Aamir Mehmood Kiani is an old PTI worker and has been with Imran Khan for the last 22 years and so deserved the ministry, he said.

He added that many decisions of Mr Kiani’s in the last two years had not gone down well with workers largely because he had not remained in touch with them and also because he did not have an office in the city or cantonment areas.

“Sheikh Rashid Ahmed became a minister due to alliance quota. There are two party ministers from Rawalpindi, Ghulam Sarwar and Amir Mehmood Kiani,” said Arif Abbasi, former PTI district president and ex-MPA.

He said the party will bring Sadaqat Abbasi into the cabinet in the second phase and that winning Murree from a former prime minister was no easy feat.

PTI City President Ijaz Khan Jazi said the party had included three ministers from Rawalpindi through whom the party agenda will be implemented.

He said Rawalpindi is facing many problems to which the ministers should pay attention such as water shortage, unemployment and many others.

The ministers should establish offices in the city and cantonment areas so they are easily accessible to workers and citizens, he added.

“The last 10 years, PML-N local leaders did not work for the people, who took their revenge by not voting for them. The PTI should learn from this,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018