Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan on Saturday terminated his Irrigation Minister Liaquat Khan Khattak for supporting winning PML-N candidate in the recently held by-election in PK-63. Liaqat Khattak, who is the brother of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, was elected from PK-64 Nowshera-IV. He was removed from the ministry for violating party’s discipline and code of conduct.
It is pertinent to note that PML-N’s Ikhtiyar Wali won the by-election by securing 21,122 votes from PK-63 on Friday. He was followed by PTI’s Mian Umar Kakakhel, who bagged 17,023 votes. The seat fell vacant after the death of former KP minister Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel. The PTI gave the ticket to his son Mian Umar Kakakhel while Liaquat Khattak wanted the ticket to be awarded to his son.
Nowshera is the home city of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak and a stronghold of the ruling PTI. Liaquat, who was also the former district nazim of Nowshera, was elected to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in a by-election in October 2018. He won the PK-64 Nowshera seat vacated by his brother. The TV channel reported that a charge sheet against Liaquat Khattak would be presented to Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Sources claimed that Pervaiz Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister and Governor met on Friday to discuss the issue after which the notification for Liaquat’s removal was issued. The notification reads, “|The Governor of the province of KP in exercise of the powers conferred under clause 3 of Article 132 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with clause 1 of article 105 thereof, is pleaded to de-notify, Liaqat Khattak, Minister Irrigation, KP from Office.”