SWABI: Former chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Sunday claimed that ANP was regaining popularity among the people because the voters had realised that their decision to vote PTI to power was wrong. He said that the PTI-led government in the province had failed to deliver.

He was speaking at a party convention in Razaar, which is considered as stronghold of ANP in the district.

Former ministers, parliamentarians, local leaders and workers and National Youth Organisation (NYO) activists were in attendance.

Mr Hoti said that pre-election pledges PTI made with the electorates were no longer on the agenda of the ruling party in the province. He said that public meetings and sit-ins being organised by PTI were meant to divert people’s attention from its utter failure to address public issues.

The ANP’s provincial president said that it was ANP government which had donated Rs70 million worth of land to PTI to build a cancer hospital in Peshawar.

He said that the PTI-led government failed to provide funds for various universities sanctioned during his government. “Funds of billions of rupees lapsed due to failure of the PTI leadership to utilise them on mega projects approved during the tenure of the ANP government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he added.

Mr Hoti said that the PTI government would be allowed to complete its tenure so that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could make it accountable in the next elections.

The former chief minister also criticised the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for forgetting the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and only focusing on Punjab province.

On the occasion, Haji Rehmanullah, ANP district president, said that the party launched various development projects in the district, including making Razaar a tehsil.

NYO provincial president Sangeen Khan said that the dilemma of PTI leadership was that they lacked knowledge about cultural and traditional priorities of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

ANP’s parliamentary leader in KP assembly, Sardar Husain Babak said that the PTI government had planned to privities the technical board but the ANP leadership would not allow it.

AJIP MEETING: Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) leaders said on Sunday that they would honour the pledges made with the people of the district during the last general elections.

Speaking at a meeting, Biland Iqbal, the party’s vice-president, said that health facilities in public sector hospitals would be upgraded and the staff shortage issue would be resolved. He said that the AJIP would participate in the local bodies’ election.

Published in Dawn, November 24th , 2014