During the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary party meeting held on January 14 to discuss the mini-budget, PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief Pervez Khattak – who also holds the portfolio of defense ministry – reportedly had an altercation with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

This heated exchange of words became the talk of town immediately with different news outlets, interpreting it in different ways. Some even claimed that Khattak had left the meeting after expressing his displeasure over his own government policies with regard to the KP.

However, it later turned out that Pervez Khattak had taken a break in order to smoke a cigarette. Some analysts later pointed out that Khattak only talked about the rights of the people of his province and that as the provincial head of the party it was his responsibility to air the peoples’ grievances.

They also noted that Khattak is not just a PTI leader; he is also Prime Minister Imran Khan’s class fellow and a close friend who is in a position to tell the premier a lot of things that other PTI members can’t.

Some analysts, however, hinted at alleged winds of change with Khattak possibly paving the way for jumping ship and joining the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ahead of the 2023 general election.

Pervez Khattak’s brother Liaquat Khattak and nephew Ahad Khattak joined the PPP before the first phase of local government (LG) elections in the KP in December 2021.

Whatever might be his motivation, Khattak had expressed his grievances about two key issues at the meeting – gas and electricity load shedding in the province, which, he said, produces both the resources but is deprived of them.

In the province, the CNG stations operate only for three days in a week and that, too, on the order of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) as the authorities had earlier decided to completely discontinue gas supply to the CNG pumps till end of winter.

Interestingly, the PHC directed the KP government and the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) – the utility that supplies gas to consumers in the KP and Punjab – to open CNG stations thrice a week on January 13, a day before the PTI parliamentary party meeting.

The gas supply to the domestic consumer is also badly affected and people of a number areas have to rely on gas cylinders as gas supply suddenly stops during peak hours of morning, noon and night.

In most parts of the province, people find it difficult to use geysers and heaters in cold weather both due to gas load shedding as well as the hefty bills that the SNGP charges from its consumers.

Even Peshawar – the provincial capital of the KP – faces long power outages and the situation of rural areas is still worse with people of many areas left practically without electricity. Power and fuel crises, however, are not the only problems.

The season for cultivating wheat has started but there is a grave shortage of fertilizers in the markets. The smaller dealers have neither urea nor di-ammonium phosphate (DAP). Big dealers do have fertilizers but they also deliver them to the buyers after a delay of weeks.

Experts have expressed their fear that the upcoming crop of wheat in the province may be affected in case this issue of shortage of fertilizer – whether it is normal or artificial – is not addressed immediately. This situation may turn into a wheat crisis.

When Khattak highlighted the issues of the KP, he also had in mind the defeat of the ruling PTI in the first phase of the LG election held in the KP on December 19 last year.

In the first phase of the LG election, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) won even from areas – including Peshawar – where the PTI had swept the polls in 2018

In the provincial capital, the ruling PTI is now in disarray.

The powerful Arbab family, which belongs to the PTI, blamed KP chief minister for the party’s defeat in the LG polls for Peshawar while also accusing him of awarding the party tickets to the LG candidates – including the candidate for the post of Peshawar mayor – after receiving heavy kickbacks.

Noor Alam Khan, who won a National Assembly seat from Peshawar on the ticket of the PTI, also criticizes the government. At the January 14 meeting, Noor Alam had also asked the premier some pointed questions about the bill that sought to give complete autonomy to the central bank.

The party leadership has been completely ignoring these voices with the party.  However, this time it is Pervez Khattak, who has highlighted the need for the PTI to put the house in order. Interestingly, PM Imran has appointed Khattak the provincial chief of the party after the PTI’s defeat in the LG polls.

However, some people even in the ruling party question the role of Pervez Khattak and his family in recruitments of hundreds of people to the Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex in Nowshera.

The Khattack factor

Pervez Khattak was the person who during his tenure as the K-P chief minister managed to convince Imran Khan to start the metro bus in Peshawar. Imran was originally against this mode of transport and used to call it ‘jangla’ bus – apparently in a reference to its covered tracks.

Today, thousands of people, particularly women of Peshawar, are using this bus rapid transport (BRT) service. Pervez Khattak is the one of the few persons who can effectively communicate the problems of the province to the premier and the provincial government should utilize his services.

Apparently, the KP government right now also faces a financial crisis. That is the reason why the provincial government has decided to complete two of its flagship projects in collaboration with the private sector.

One of these is the 243-kilometer long Peshawar-DI Khan motorway project.

The PTI government wants to complete the project before completion of its term as the project will make the southern districts of the province more accessible and help the party woo voters from the areas which are usually a stronghold of the JUI F.

The provincial government has also decided to complete the Dir expressway with the help of the private sector as the government apparently does not have required funds to undertake the projects.

Besides, attracting voters in Dir, a traditional stronghold of another religious party the Jamaat -e-Islami, the expressway could also grant the PTI popularity in Lower and Upper Chitral districts which are the only places in the country that support and vote for Pervez Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League.

In this scenario, Pervez Khattak may also help the provincial government in getting funds from the federal government. He may also help the party prepare for the next election by inducting dynamic people in the PTI structure. However, his exit may have serious implications for the PTI.