SWABI: Members of the district council here on Friday expressed reservations about the distribution of Sehat Insaf Cards, saying that deserving people had been ignored in the district.

In a meeting, they said that the PTI-led provincial government had announced that these cards would be given to the poor people so they could get the treatment facility free of cost in public sector hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

However, they alleged that this principle had been violated and the cards were being distributed on the basis of political affiliation.

They urged the government to ensure distribution of the health cards on merit.

District nazim Ameer Rehman said that the PTI leaders always looked for a shortcut to reach the power corridors and that too by misleading the people.

“They (PTI leaders) exploited the issues of rigging and Panama Papers to enlist the people’s support and motivate them against the government,” he said.

Amir Nawab, a member of the district assembly, said that the political parties should work for strengthening the ongoing democratic order and avoid harming it. “The tactics used by the PTI leadership are harmful to democracy. The people no longer support its anti-government campaign,” he claimed.

Other members of the council warned that the officials of the public sector departments should attend the proceedings of the district council. They said that the presence of officials in the council meetings was necessary for law-making process.

They said that without participation of the officials the district government would not be able to take steps for improving performance of various public sector departments.

Published in Dawn December 31st, 2016