MARDAN: Former chief minister and Awami National Party MNA Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for focusing on the development of Punjab province only while finalising developmental projects and signing agreements with foreign countries.

He alleged that Mr Sharif was treating only Punjab as Pakistan. “The representation of Punjab only has been considered so far during the prime minister’s foreign trips so far,” he said.

Mr Hoti expressed these views here on Sunday during a ceremony wherein former provincial president of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s labour wing Inam Saraf joined ANP along with his supporters. MPA Sardar Hussain Babak, former MNA Himayat Ullah Mayar, Shamsher Khan and local ANP activists were also present on the occasion.

Mr Hoti said that Pakhtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa voted Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to power in the last general elections, but it failed to fulfill even a single promise after remaining in power for 11 months.

He said that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been facing law and order situation, power loadshedding, price hike and poor performance of the provincial ministers.

“Even the provincial assembly members belonging to PTI are complaining against their own party that the provincial government has backtracked on its promises,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, MPA Babak said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was affected by terrorism and militancy, but the incumbent chief minister and his cabinet members had restricted themselves to issuing condemnation statements only.

He said that the ANP leaders and workers, including senior provincial minister Bashir Bilour, had rendered sacrifices for the sake of peace in the province.

The MPA said that Chief Minister Pervez Khattak was morally bound to seek a fresh vote of confidence from the provincial assembly after emergence of the forward bloc in PTI.