KP CHIEF MINISTER FROM PTI PARTICIPATES IN BANNED OUTFITS CONFERENCE

  Tuesday, 09 January 2018

source: shiitenews

After an electoral alliance between Taliban-allied Deobandi cleric Samiul Haq’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) and the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak went a step further to appease some hardcore elements, by attending a public meeting of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) on Sunday despite the fact that his party chief Imran Khan had been criticizing the DPC leaders since long.
The PTI has not joined the DPC — a conglomerate of 40 political and banned sectarian groups including ASWJ­— but it recently entered into an electoral alliance with the JUI-S.
The participation of Chief Minister Khattak in the conference stirred controversy in the political circles.
Awami National Party’s information secretary Zahid Khan said that Mr Khattak’s participation in the moot showed that the PTI had formally joined the DPC. “Imran Khan was strong critic of the DPC, but his party’s chief minister shared the stage with leaders of extremist groups,” he added.
When contacted, KP Education Minister Muhammad Atif Khan said: “I can’t comment on it, but it’s clear that the PTI is not a member of the DPC.”
The KP government’s spokesman, Shah Farman, was not available for his comment on the matter.
Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who carries a bounty of $10 million announced by the United States for his suspected involvement in terrorist activities, also addressed the conference via telephone. Fazal Rehman Khalil of another banned militant outfit also spoke.