RAWALPINDI/PESHAWAR:
In an apparently fresh internal split within the PTI, party patron-in-chief Imran Khan has distanced himself from the approval of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget, saying it was made behind his back and was invalid without his prior consultation.
He rejected the manner in which the budget was passed, saying that a budget approved in just three hours without proper consultation was unacceptable.
Imran’s concerns were conveyed through his sister Aleema Khan, who, speaking outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday, said the decision to pass the K-P budget was made in undue haste and without the consent of the party’s founder.
“In my view, the ‘Minus Imran Khan’ formula has already been executed,” she said, adding that her brother was denied even a two-day wait for input on the budget.
The former premier also asserted that no amendments should proceed without the Supreme Court’s permission and only under his instructions – even as K-P Information Adviser Barrister Ali Saif claimed Imran had given his nod to the provincial budget after being briefed.
Aleema said that Imran demanded that the party approach the SC to seek permission for a formal consultative meeting between him and the party’s economic team. “Only after such consultation will he review and decide on the amendments required in the budget,” she quoted Imran as saying.
Aleema Khan, who spoke to the media outside Adiala Jail after meeting with family members who were allowed access to the imprisoned party founder, said that she herself was denied permission to meet her brother. However, her sisters, Dr Uzma and Noreen Niazi, were able to see him and convey his views.
She expressed frustration over being denied a meeting with Imran. “What was the rush in passing the K-P budget?” she asked.
“What was hidden from the PTI founder in that budget that they couldn’t even wait two more days?” “In my view, Imran Khan has been sidelined,” she added.
Aleema also slammed the authorities for attempting to block communication from within Adiala Jail.
“Barrister Saif had been sent to explain why the K-P budget was presented so hastily and under compulsion,” she said, quoting Imran, who also noted that “Ali Amin Gandapur should have come to see me much earlier”.
However, Barrister Saif said he informed the incarcerated supremo of the party of the province’s political scenario and apprised him of the opposition’s alleged conspiracies to derail the budget process.
“I conveyed everything to the patron-in-chief that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Muzzammil Aslam wanted to share with him,” he said. “After listening to all the facts and concerns, he expressed his consent regarding the budget.”
The meeting, according to Saif, involved detailed discussions not only on political matters but also on the K-P budget.
