TIMERGARA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan launched plantation drive by planting a Cedar sapling at University of Malakand here on Tuesday amid protest by local workers, who were not allowed to attend the function.

After planting the sapling, Mr Khan told journalists that Rs15 billion would be spent on forestation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the next four years. He said that a total of one billion saplings would be planted under the government’s Billion Tree Tsunami project.

Imran Khan, whose PTI rules Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was accompanied by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Adviser to Chief Minister Shakeel Khan and other party leaders on this occasion.

The PTI chief said that provincial government seized illegal timber worth Rs8 billion. The amount would be spent on protection of forests and setting up new plant nurseries.

The PTI chief said that a ‘Negahban force’ (guarding force) was also being established to preserve forest in the region. He said that half a million jobless youth would be accommodated in the force.

To a question regarding election of Senate chairman, Mr Khan said that he would consult senior members of his party to announce his future line of action. About the alleged rigging in NA-122 constituency, he said the matter was being handled by Nadra and soon the nation would be informed about the facts.

Protesting activists say they were not allowed to attend the function

Briefing the PTI chief on the occasion, Forest Secretary Nazar Hussain Shah said that 18 million saplings would be planted in different areas of the province in the current year. He said that a target of 250 million saplings was fixed for the next year.

Also, the local workers and office-bearers of PTI staged a protest rally against the party leadership for not allowing them to meet Imran Khan and Pervez Khattak.

The protesting workers also chanted slogans against the Dir Lower president of the party and demanded his removal from the office. They also blocked Chakdara-Timergara Road to traffic.

Later addressing a press conference, PTI district general secretary Ali Shah Mishwani, Fazl Mohammad, Zakirullah and Ihsanullah Badwani said that hundreds of workers were not allowed to attend the function at the university.

They said that PTI district president had asked tehsil presidents and general secretaries to reach Chakdara . They said that they waited for five hours but despite that they were not allowed to attend the function.

They said that PTI chief Imran Khan and chief minister were visiting Lower Dir for the first time after May 2013 elections. They demanded of the party provincial leadership to immediately replace the district president, Advocate Fakhruz Zaman as he had issued passes to his relatives and friends for attending the function.

The protesting PTI activists also condemned Adviser to Chief Minister Shakeel Khan for his statement regarding by-election in PK-95. They said that Shakeel Khan had no right to impose his decision on party workers.

They said that PTI workers would never vote for the candidate of Jamaat-i-Islami in the constituency and would field their own candidate.

Published in Dawn March 11th , 2015

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