Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti announced here on Sunday he is quitting the federal cabinet in protest over differences with Awami National Party (ANP) leadership and poor law and order situation in the NWFP.
Addressing a press conference here, he said he was totally neglected by the party leadership in decision making.
He alleged that there was rampant corruption in the NWFP and according to him, "this has also forced me to resign from the office of the minister."
Hoti, who will formally hand over resignation to the government today (Monday), also demanded the chief minister NWFP Haider Khan Hoti to resign saying "his government had so far been unable to deliver."
Hoti complained that the problems of his constituency were not being taken into consideration, adding that even the provincial government did not take him into confidence in any important matter regarding the province.
Hailing from Mardan and generally known as Toti Khan in his area, Nawabzada Hoti was prominent leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Due to differences with Chairperson of PPP in 2004, left the Provincial Presidentship of the party and later on, resigned from the basic membership of the party.
He had joined ANP in 2006 and subsequently became the party central vice president. He contested 2008 general elections as ANP candidate from NA-9 Mardan 1 and defeated the PPP candidate Khanzada Khan. Initially, he was inducted in the cabinet as federal minister for social welfare and special education in April 2008. His portfolio was changed and he was allotted the portfolio of narcotics control in November 2008.
According to sources, Khwaja Hoti was seriously disturbed when the federal government appointed the PPP leader Zamarrud Khan as chief of Baitul Maal, which is under the ministry of social welfare and special education. Zamarrud Khan's appointment irked Hoti and due to this development he had to quit the ministry and he was given the portfolio of Narcotics control.
Sources said that PPP top leadership was not pleased with Hoti because he had left the party (PPP) that dented its vote bank in Mardan, which was known as mini-Larkana or PPP stronghold for quite a long time.
Hoti developed differences with the ANP leadership when he showed interest to field his son as candidate in by-election which was due in Mardan. In the general elections, the PPP candidate and former speaker NWFP Abdul Akbar Khan won NA 11 seat. He had also won a provincial assembly seat from Mardan. He quit his NA seat.
Khwaja Hoti was interested to field his son as an ANP candidate from that seat. The party leadership did not agree with that as it was against the already reached agreement between the PPP and the ANP that are coalition partners at central as well as provincial level.
Due to ANP refusal, Haji Khanzada Khan won the NA 11 seat.
Hoti became the first minister of the present government to quit the cabinet. Ijaz Virk, a PPP MNA, who was holding the slot of parliamentary secretary petroleum, had also resigned a few months back.
The ANP leadership was not, at all, pleased with Khwaja Hoti after his son recently quit the ANP and joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Following his decision to join the PML (N), Hoti had never been good books of the ANP leadership.