MANSEHRA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday began an investigation into corruption allegations levelled by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s central vice-president, Azam Khan Swati, against party lawmakers.

“Our workers are annoyed by Mr Swati’s graft charges against Mansehra’s lawmakers, so PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and his assistant Musaddaq Abbasi will look into them,” PTI provincial deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati told reporters at the press club here.

Accompanied by PTI district president Sardar Khan and other office-bearers, Mr Kamal said conspiracies had been hatched to divide the party since the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan two years ago, while party lawmakers were also subjected to “baseless corruption propaganda.”

He wondered how aide to the chief minister on tourism and archaeology Zahid Chanzeb, MPAs Munir Hussain Lughmani and Akram Ghazi, and MNA Shahzada Gustasab Khan, who rendered great sacrifices for the party and contested the Feb 8 general elections despite facing immense hardships, could be involved in corruption and misuse of power.

Mr Kamal said Speaker of the provincial assembly Babar Saleem Swati, who alsobelonged to Mansehra district, had discussed those allegations with PTI provincial president Junaid Akbar, CM Ali Amin Gandapur, and his assistant Musaddaq Abbasi, seeking an investigation into Mr Swati’s claims.

He said Mansehra’s gravity water scheme, for which Saudi Arabia recently sanctioned a soft loan of $41 million, was a provincial government project.

The PTI leader said partyfounder Imran Khan, as the prime minister, had approved this mega water supply scheme for Mansehra at the request of the then MPA and now Speaker of the KP Assembly, Babar Saleem Swati.

He said a 54km pipeline would be laid to fetch water from the Neeli Nadi stream in Kaghan Valley. He said engineers from the communication and works department recently visited the project site.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2025