PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Secretary Shaukat Yousafzai has rejected reports that former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser wants to make his brother the chief minister, saying only PTI founder Imran Khan can remove Mahmood Khan Achakzai from the position of opposition leader. Yousafzai condemned what he described as attempts by some party members to malign the leadership through the media. He said the party was facing a serious lack of discipline and stressed that no member had the right to disclose internal proceedings of party meetings to the media. He described Mahmood Khan Achakzai as a respected and senior parliamentarian, calling reports about his removal as opposition leader baseless. He said Imran Khan had appointed Achakzai to the position and only he could remove him. Yousafzai urged Barrister Gohar and Salman Akram Raja to ensure discipline within the party, saying both had stood by PTI during difficult times. Rejecting reports that Asad Qaiser wanted his brother to become chief minister, Yousafzai said the allegations were completely baseless. He clarified that Ali Amin Gandapur had already been nominated as chief minister before Asad Qaiser met Imran Khan. He said it was true that Imran Khan had initially directed that Asad Qaiser’s brother be made speaker, but the decision was later changed by Imran Khan himself. Yousafzai reiterated his view that confrontational politics had harmed Imran Khan, the party and its workers. He also said the current system of emergency and governor’s rule did not appear likely to continue for long. He said terrorism was being cited as the justification for imposing emergency and governor’s rule, while a crackdown was allegedly being carried out against political workers. “Terrorism can only be defeated through collective efforts,” Yousafzai said.
