PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan has expressed concern over the low gas pressure in many parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and has threatened that the PPP would start an agitation drive if the federal government does not address the issue immediately.

In a statement issued here on Friday, he said his party had always tried to extend cooperation to democratically-elected governments to strengthen democratic institutions in the country.

However, he said PML-N government in the centre had failed to serve the masses, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where no mega project had so far been launched to remove grievances of people.

Besides, he said the federal government had failed to ensure smooth supply of natural gas and electricity, especially to the remote areas of Malakand, despite severe cold weather.

“The entire hilly areas are in the grip of severe cold and gas supply to the localities is next to nil. Similar is the situation of power supply where the people are forced to come to streets,” the PPP leader said.

The loadshedding of power and natural gas, he said had also made lives of people miserable as they had no alternative to meet their requirements.

The gas loadshedding in Malakand had forced people to use firewood for keeping themselves warm and cooking.

Humayun Khan said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had no interest to solve problems of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and thus it was time PPP would start protest demonstrations against the injustices.

Similarly, the PPP leader disclosed that his party had planned to start mass contact drive across KP in order to mobilise its workers and prepare them for the next general elections.

He said formal announcement in that regard would be made in the party’s cabinet meeting to be held in Peshawar soon.

He said the newly appointed office bearers had started work with zeal to overcome all issues pertaining to reorganisation.

The PPP leadership, he said was serious in bringing all disgruntled activists back into the party folds. Tariq Rahim, a party media manager, said PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was expected to arrive in Peshawar soon to interview the aspirants for different offices at the district and divisional levels.

He said during the mass contact drive workers’ conventions and public meetings would be arranged to mobilise the workers.

Published in Dawn January 21st, 2017