Horse-trading: KP law minister resigns over leaked video

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan stepped down from his post on Tuesday hours after a leaked video, purportedly recorded in Feb 2018, showed him taking money ahead of the Senate polls.

After the video made it to the mainstream media, KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan tweeted that he had asked the law minister to resign over his appearance in the video along with other lawmakers.

Subsequently, the provincial minister quit the cabinet, saying he felt “it was his moral duty and obligation to withdraw from the cabinet and offer my resignation”. He also expressed the hope that “justice will be done” and that he would be able to clear his name.

‘LEAKED VIDEO’:

On Tuesday, the video first released by ARY News showed lawmakers belonging to the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counting bundles of cash and then stashing the same in a bag.

The video showed how, during the critical period, loyalties were switched by PTI’s 20 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers, all of whom were reportedly expelled by the party’s central leadership after an investigation. The money was dished out in Feb-March 2018, it was reported.

It may be noted that the damning video comes at a time when Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan expresses aims to hold Senate elections through open ballot in 2021 in a bid to eliminate horse-trading. Defending his party’s move to hold the elections through open ballot, the premier had last week spoken of bribes paid to buy loyalties, revealing that he himself had been offered some.

He had further revealed that 20 members of the KP Assembly belonging to the PTI, likely the ones from the video, were paid Rs50 million each during the last Senate polls to vote in favour of certain candidates.

On February 6, President Dr Arif Alvi signed Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 that will pave way for the organisation of Senate elections through open ballot.