PESHAWAR: Opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Dr Ibadullah Khan on Thursday called out the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf for bashing the security establishment on one hand butwanting to engage with it on its issues on the other.

He also accused Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur of being in close association with the establishment.

`You [PTI] talk against the establishment but your chief minister [Gandapur] has aligned with the establishment. I can produce its evidence,` Dr Ibadullah told an assembly session chaired by Speaker BabarSaleem Swati here.

The opposition leader, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, condemned the killing of PTI workers in firing on the Nov 24 DChowk protest in Islamabad but alleged that PTI lawmakers were not loyal to their leadership and workers.

He also wondered why only Pakhtuns were used for street protests, and urged the treasury not to turn Islamabad arrests into an ethnic issue.

Dr Ibadullah said it was surprising to note that the D-Chowk firing killed or injured PTI workers and not a single member of the provincial cabinet.

He criticised PTI members for criticising the establishment and its intelligence agencies over Islamabad firing and said the party`s central leadership denied any role of the establishment in it.

`What would they do for their defence when inflammatory slogans are shouted during protests and workers are incited to violence?`The opposition leader alleged that members of the provincial cabinet carried imported tear gas guns during the PTI march on Islamabad.

He complained about the poor law and order situation in the province and said it was the responsibility of the provincial government to protect public life and property in the province but the chief minister was busy with the march on Islamabad, especially when violence claimed 100 lives in Kurram tribal district.

Mr Ibadullah said the chief minister wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif regarding `mistreatment` of Pakhtuns in Islamabad, but the issue was properly raised by a multiparty conference called by the governor in Peshawar on the day.

He also criticised the treasury for using `foul language` against the leadership of other political parties and said the act was tantamount to inviting the opposition parties to resort to diatribe against the leadership ofthe treasurybenches.The opposition leader said the PTI government in the province criticised the governor for holding MPC though it was the responsibility of the chief minister to do so as the chiefexecutive ofthe province.

`When the chief minister was busy with marches on Islamabad, someone else would have to take the initiative,` he said.

Dr Ibadullah said the MPC demanded the province`s right to its resources to strengthen the provincial government, but the ruling PTI didn`t attend it.

He said that incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan was not the only political leadertogotojailandinstead,the topleadership of all other parties had faced long detentions but none of them took up arms and attacked GHQ, PTV or corps commander`s house like PTI.

The oppositionleadersaid thatthe treasury benches liked the security establishment only when it supported them.

`Hold a cabinet meeting and ask the armed forces to leave the province, but youwill never do it because your leader still wants to talk to the establishment only,` he told PTI lawmakers.

Earlier, member of the opposition PPP Ehsanullah Khan, on his calling attention notice, complained that the Draband Stadium in the Dera Ismail Khan district was in bad shape, leaving local youth with no other ground to play.

He said that funds were released for stadium repairs and even they`re utilised, but the condition of the premises didn`t improve.

Sports minister Syed Fakhar Jehan said that there were issues regarding the rehabilitation of the building, but the needful work would be carried out shortly.

The house also passed the KP Parks and Horticulture Authority Bill, 2024, with several amendments proposed by the opposition.

The bill was tabled by local government minister Arshad Ayub.

The chair later adjourned the session until today (Friday).