PESHAWAR: Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and senior Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shah Farman on Saturday announced that neither he nor his family members would contest the next general elections to “discourage dynastic politics.”

       Mr Farman told Dawn that he was not quitting the PTI and instead, he was giving workers an opportunity to contest elections as they had rendered tremendous sacrifices for the party.

       He said he had released a video message to respond to “some allegations” levelled against him.

       The PTI leader, however, didn’t elaborate on them.

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       Says he won’t quit party

       Without naming names, he alleged that some PTI leaders had committed massive corruption during the party’s rule, purchased bungalows in Europe, and even laundered money.

       Mr Farman said that the time would expose those leaders.

       In the video message, the former governor said that politics was neither his “family profession” nor a source of income, so he, his son and his brother won’t contest next elections.

       He said his act of not contesting polls would set an example for other party leaders to follow as it would enable workers to enter the electoral arena.

       Mr Farman said that he remained part of the provincial government for nine years but never went abroad on official or private visits.

       He, however, said he travelled to Saudi Arabia twice to perform Umrah, once with party chairman and then prime minister Imran Khan and on the other occasion alone.

       The former governor claimed that he was the only governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the last 75 years who returned the “secret funds” allocated to him because of that office.

       He said that he, his children and other family members hadn’t joined politics as a profession, so why hewould “deceive” the party.

       Mr Farman demanded of the PTI leaders to provide workers with a chance to contest general elections to reach assemblies.

       “Unfortunately, some leaders of the PTI manage to get election tickets for themselves, their brothers and other family members to claim seats of the provincial and national assemblies, Senate and sometimes for the chairmen of tehsil councils. Such leaders have promoted their families to serve their interests, while party workers rendered great sacrifices for the party,” he said.

       Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2023