CM decides to call meeting after receiving reports of lawmakers contacting each other, sources say
PESHAWAR:
Differences have emerged within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, with growing discontent among government members ahead of the provincial budget becoming a major headache for Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
In response, the chief minister called a parliamentary meeting of the party this (Sunday) evening.
Reports of discontent among PTI assembly members first emerged following a recent expansion of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet. According to sources, the Chief Minister decided to convene the meeting after receiving information that legislators had contacted each other.
All members of the assembly were invited to ensure their presence at the session. Sources further revealed that CM Sohail Afridi and other ministers contacted disgruntled legislators, personally inviting them to attend the meeting.
Before the party’s parliamentary meeting, disgruntled members reportedly called their own consultative meeting. The emergence of a faction of disgruntled legislators just before the Budget added to the Chief Minister’s troubles.
The independent position of PTI members in the assembly could prove problematic, sources warned. Meanwhile, a clear message has been sent to disgruntled lawmakers that any attempt to create difficulties for the government could make it more difficult to obtain party lists for the next election.
