SWABI: Awami National Party’s provincial chief Ameer Haidar Khan Hoti said on Thursday that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had failed to fulfil its pledges it made with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the general elections and now it was diverting people’s attention from its failure to non-issues.

Addressing his party workers at Dagai in Razar tehsil here, he said that the PTI leadership wanted ‘lockdown’ of Islamabad on Nov 2, but they forgot about their failure in KP.

“The continued political battle of PTI chief Imran Khan is in fact for enlisting support of the people Punjab for future elections,” he said.

Mr Hoti said that Mr Imran should wait for 2018 general elections and let the democratic system work. He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in centre and PTI government in KP should complete their tenure.

Hoti says PTI should wait for 2018 polls

“The elected governments should complete their constitutional term,” he said, adding that Mr Imran was strengthening the culture of protests which was against democratic principles.

“The PTI has utterly failed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I can predict that it would suffer a worst defeat in the province in next general elections,” he said.

About China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said that the ANP leaders would continue their struggle till restoration of true structure of the project. “We have already launched a full-fledged campaign for the share of KP in the project,” he said.

The ANP leader alleged that the PML-N leadership had made changes in the CPEC to benefit Punjab, but the people of KP would never accept this.

PTI READY FOR PROTEST: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leaders claimed on Thursday that Islamabad protest was expected to be graced by sea of people who expressed readiness to play their role in eradication of corruption.

They were addressing a public meeting at Shewa, Razaar tehsil. They criticised the ANP leadership and alleged that they were involved in corrupt practices. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar said that the workers’ tsunami would hit Islamabad on Nov 2, as every worker of the party was anxious to join Imran Khan’s caravan.

He said that without eradication of corruption it was not possible to ensure progress and prosperity in the country. The ruling party’s Peshawar region president, Shah Farman, claimed that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would fully participate in the Islamabad ‘lockdown’.

He said that the party leadership in all districts had run a full-fledged campaign to educate the people about the importance of the protest against corruption.

Shahram Tarakai, senior provincial minister, claimed that Panama Papers leaks about offshore companies of the prime minister’s family had provided evidence about his corruption. Education minister Atif Khan said that protest was the democratic right of PTI.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016