PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Khyber Pakhtunkhwa general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak on Monday urged politicians to stop commenting on the Kashgar-Gwadar trade route blindly and said in case of any change to the project, his party’s provincial chapter would raise voice against it.

Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, the PML-N leader said political leaders should stop opposing the government’s projects for the sake of opposition and offer comments only after confirming if any change had happened to the Kashgar-Gwadar trade route.

“Our party will never compromise the rights of the people in the province and will join hands with other parties if the project is changed,” he said.

Also read: PTI protests against China trade route changes

Khattak criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its provincial government for failing to fulfil its commitments of bringing a positive change in the people’s life.

He said the people had voted the PTI to power in the province two years ago for their socioeconomic welfare but change in their life hadn’t happened yet.

The PML-N leader said the PTI government had claimed to hold local body elections within three months of its formation but it had failed to realise the claim.

He said neither the government had taken steps to bring reforms in education and health sectors in the province nor had they made efforts to develop backward regions of the province.

“Everyone see that the provincial government has miserably failed to address their problems. No mega uplift scheme had so far been initiated. He maintained the growing lawlessness, extortions and kidnapping for ransom were reflecting non-seriousness on part of provincial government towards resolution of masses issues in the province.

Khattak said the provincial government’s intervention in the police was grown up, which had been adversely affecting its functioning and their routine matters.

He said the behaviour of the provincial police towards the people was far better than that of other provinces but the provincial government had no role in it because it was the culture of Pakhtuns to deal with people politely.

The PML-N leader rejected a claim of Imran Khan to have overcome corruption and intervention in police department, saying the transfers of SHOs in the province are still politically motivated.

“Had the government controlled corruption, it would have arrested the people involved in the stealing of crude oil from the main pipeline in Karak,” he said.

Khattak said the Khattak Qaumi Jirga had timely pointed out the alleged corruption of millions of rupees in the oil project but the provincial government did not bother to arrest culprits. He criticised the fielding of PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah as a covering candidate in the Senate elections and said the move was totally unjust and insulting.

“We’re opposed to the naming of Pir Sabir Shah as a covering candidate instead of fielding him as candidate,” he said. On the occasion, lawyer Farah Khan, who contested the provincial assembly elections from her district, Karak, announced the joining of the PML-N.

PML-N MNA Tahira Bukhari, provincial information secretary Nasir Khan Musazai and Shaheen Habibullah Khan were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2015

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