PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf suffered a setback in Nowshera after Ahad Khattak, the nephew of Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, along with supporters formally joined Pakistan Peoples Party on Sunday.

PPP central general secretary Nayyar Hussain Bukhari welcomed Ahad Khattak, who had served as tehsil nazim, in the party ranks at a press conference in Nowshera. PPP provincial president Najmuddin Khan and other leaders of the party were also present on the occasion.

Ahad Khattak’s father Liaquat Khattak, who has been elected MPA on the PTI ticket from Nowshera in the general elections, developed serious differences with Pervez Khattak after his son failed to get PTI ticket to contest by-election from PK-63 Nowshera.

Ahad Khattak alleges ruling party failed to fulfil promises

Following rift with his brother, Liaquat Khattak supported Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate Ikhtiar Wali in the by-poll and as a result PTI lost the seat. Liaquat Khattak was expelled from the provincial cabinet for supporting the PML-N candidate.

Ahad Khattak thanked PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for accommodating him in the party. “I have been in contact with the PPP leadership and met Asif Ali Zardari and chairman Bilawal,” he said.

He alleged that the government was victimising its political rivals in Nowshera. He said that PTI did not fulfil its commitments made with the people during the general elections.

Speaking on the occasion, Nayyar Bukhari termed entry of young Khattak in PPP ranks a big change in the politics of Nowshera and said that youth would play pivotal role in the politics of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to bring the country out of the present economic crises.

He said that PPP had been fighting for the fundamental rights of people since Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto laid foundation of the party in 1967. He said that a military dictator was in power when PPP was formed. The people of Pakistan were once again passing through serious crisis because of the sitting government’s wrong policies and its facilitators, he added.

Mr Bukhari said that PPP would pull the country out of the prevailing crises. He said that PPP performed very well in the recent cantonment board elections and would also win next general elections. “People will see big change in the politics of Nowshera with the entry of Ahad Khattak,” he said, adding that more people would join the party in near future.

He said that the party chairperson would address public meeting in Manki Sharif, the hometown of Pervez Khattak, on November 19. He urged the government to make details about the agreement with banned TLP public and take the parliament into confidence in that regard.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2021