Talal says Swati conspired, Saif sees oath as darkest hour

ISLAMABAD: Amid the ongoing power politics maneuvering, State Minister Talal Chaudhry said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Speaker Babar Khan Swati stopped the 25 members elected on reserved from taking oath as part of a conspiracy.

The quorum issue was manufactured as excuse to enable Swati adjourn the session until July 24, Talal said in a video statement on Sunday evening.

Read more: Opposition will try to get more than five Senate seats as PTI backtracks

But Barrister Saif, earlier in the morning, described the oath-taking of these MPAs as the darkest hour, saying the opposition should have refused their increased share in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

The views expressed by Saif, who is an advisor to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, represent the thinking of PTI which believes that the reserved seats judgment of Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench has deprived the party of its rightful representation.

IT IS ALWAYS AN AUCTION

It’s unconstitutional to keep the Senate incomplete, said Talal and added that the current state of affairs were intentionally produced by the PTI.

Moreover, he warned that the stopping the MPAs from becoming part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was unconstitutional and could carry strict punish.

“Why do you sell the seats to the millionaires,” the state minister asked the PTI and added that the practice was the reason behind the voices raised in the party.

At the same time, Talal said Imran Khan, the PTI founder always auctions to award tickets, an allegation that has been haunting the party for years.

On the other hand, the PML-N leader said the culture of auctioning party tickets and horse-trading was rampant in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province ruled by the PTI since 2013.

Read more: MPAs take oath, Gandapur promises action against PTI dissidents

At the same time, he said the PTI did not want any opposition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as he also mentioned the latest Kohistan scandal, describing it as the largest ever in Pakistan’s history.