The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) has prepared a draft for joining the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao-led QWP has outlined a twelve-point agreement seeking guarantees from the provincial government if his party is to rejoin the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, according to the copy draft.
QWP claims it suffered significant political damage following "unsubstantiated allegations against its members" which forced it to quit the provincial government after only months of its formation. In November 2013, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had sacked from his cabinet Minister for Labour and Manpower Bakht Baidar and Minister for Environment Ibrar Hussain - both belonging to Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao's QWP, over corruption allegations. This was followed by Sikandar Khan Sherpao of QWP resigning from Khattak's cabinet in protest after which he said his party was not part of the KP government.
Now the government had again developed contact with QWP to rejoin the KP government. PTI, after inviting QWP into the government coalition, now faces conditions for it. Keeping the harsh past experience in check, the QWP has now prepared a draft in which they have asked for a 'strong guarantor'. The draft also suggests formation of four-member committee that will keep an eye on the government matters. Any matter arising amongst the coalition partners will be presented to the committee instead of taking an immediate action on it. The committee will then have the authority to rule on it.
The matter will be sent to chairmen of the conflicting parties if the committee is unable to resolve the issue. The draft further says that the ruling party PTI will be bound to take QWP into confidence over provincial and national matters. The parliamentary leader of the QWP will also meet the Chief Minister at least once a week. The sources said that the draft's copy has been handed over to PTI and that the consultation over it is ongoing. The draft is expected to come into effect in the coming week.
The major terms in QWP draft agreement, include QWP will require iron-clad guarantees to rejoin the provincial government," reads the draft agreement. QWP has suggested formation of a liaison committee consisting four members two each from both coalition partners (JI and PTI) for investigating any future allegations. The draft goes on to say any unilateral action against any party without informing the liaison committee will be considered a violation of the agreement.
If the committee is unable to resolve a matter, it would be taken up in a meeting of chiefs of coalition parties. The document reveals that QWP is ready to enter an open-ended coalition with the PTI- a partnership that will last beyond the duration of the current terms of the assemblies. QWP also wants to be taken into confidence by the PTI leadership on national issues (outside KP).
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