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Ousted adviser to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa C.M. says he will reveal names of those plotting against him once his own name has been cleared
Ousted adviser to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa C.M. on Information Ajmal Wazir on Saturday night hit out at allegations that he had been fired over seeking “commission” from advertising agencies, claiming a “heavily edited” audio clip had been used to malign him.
Wazir was removed from his post on Saturday morning and replaced by Kamran Bangash, who was granted the charge in addition to his existing role as special assistant to the C.M. for local government, elections and rural development.
According to a notification issued by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, Wazir’s ouster was motivated by a viral audio clip that suggested he was taking commissions from an advertising agency to guarantee it be granted government ads.
In a video posted on his official Twitter account, Wazir alleged the leaked audio had spliced together clips from various meetings and discussions to try to pin the blame on him. “I was in a meeting… clip was taken from there. A discussion was happening in some other place and then cut, cut, cut… out of context. You ask me a question, you edit my answer,” he claimed.
Showing copies of the advertisements that he had allegedly sought commissions for, Wazir said they were all related to COVID-19. He said that according to the terms of business for the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the minister of the relevant department chairs the steering committee that decides on who gets the ads. “All three times the advertisements were for the health department. That department is headed by the health minister [Taimur Saleem Jhagra]. Other people such as health secretary, DG are involved… I don’t have any power,” he claimed.
Defending his tenure, Wazir claimed he had been working day and night since the pandemic began without any concern for his own health. He said he was confident his name would soon be cleared, adding that he would then reveal the names of those who had plotted against him. “They couldn’t face me [directly] so they did something third-class like this,” he said.