SWABI, May 19: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) are stuck on the issue of giving a provincial ministry to the latter, while the AJIP leadership has also started contacts with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Dawn leant here on Sunday.
The AJIP candidates won from the Swabi district’s constituencies NA-12, PK-31, PK-32, and PK-33. Of the four winning candidates of the party, Shahram Khan Tarakai is the AJIP chairman, two are his uncles and only Babar Khan is unrelated to the family.
The sources claimed that if the family-dominated AJIP struck an alliance with the PML-N then its MNA, Usman Khan Tarakai, might be accommodated in the federal government, while the PML-N would get a boost in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with support of three more MPAs-elect.
The PML-N had earlier declined to join JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s efforts for formation of government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to keep the PTI out.
Three days ago when chief minister-designate Pervez Khattak, of PTI, visited the district to meet the AJIP leaders it was announced that the two parties had entered an alliance to form the next government in the province and the AJIP MPAs would support Mr Khattak.
However, the sources said that the situation quickly changed, as the AJIP leaders also started looking towards PML-N president Nawaz Sharif for a possible alliance.
When contacted, spokesman for Tarakai family Imran Tarakai said: “Shahram Khan Tarakai is in Lahore right now and they are expected to meet Mian Nawaz Sharif to discuss the possibility of an alliance with the PML-N leaders.”
The sources claimed that the PTI had offered Mr Shahram to get the portfolio of either excise and taxation or health ministry, while the AJIP leadership was interested in the ministry of local governments or agriculture. They said that the PTI leaders were reluctant to award any of the last two ministries to them, which had led to differences between the two parties.
Earlier, the AJIP leaders had sought the slot of deputy speaker in the provincial assembly, but later they settled down for one ministry when the PTI provincial president Asad Qaisar met them.
Another member of Tarakai family said that they needed a ministry through which they could work for the welfare of people.
“One thing is clear that the portfolio which the PTI wants to award to the AJIP has been rejected by its leaders,” he said.
When contacted, MPA-elect Babar Khan said: “Our talks with the PTI are still in progress over the portfolio and we have not made any decision as yet.” He claimed that welfare of the people was their top priority. —Correspondent