LAKKI MARWAT/ DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has said that the local government system of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is far better than that of Punjab where Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has kept all powers in his hand.

“With the establishment of local government system, powers and funds have been devolved to grassroots level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said while speaking at a briefing on ‘Tsunami Billion Trees Afforestation Project’ in Tortala area of Lakki Marwat district on Monday.

The briefing was arranged by forest department at a plantation site to show its achievements and performance to the PTI chief.

“Our government has changed the trend and now police force is completely free from political influence and undue interference by politicians,” the PTI chief claimed.

Visits tree plantation sites in Lakki, DI Khan

He said that more reforms would be introduced in police and other sectors next year. The successful public meeting in Swabi the other day proved that people of the province witnessed and realised the change and that’s why they were supporting PTI, he added.

DFO Farhatullah told the PTI chief and other participants of the briefing that the department was planning to plant 11,825,000 saplings in Bannu division under Tsunami Billion Trees Afforestation Project during the current year.

He said that local people were cooperative as they were offering their lands for forestation.

The PTI chief also inspected another plantation site in Wanda Sherdil village and appreciated officials of forest department for making strenuous efforts to achieve the targets of the plantation project.

He said that increase in forests would help to create livelihood opportunities for local communities and alleviate poverty besides raising the living standard of people in the province.

Mr Khan called upon the forest department officials to ensure maximum participation of local communities in the project to make it a success and achieve the set targets.

He said that investors would come if sustainable peace prevailed in the country. He said the overseas Pakistanis wanted to invest there but they felt themselves insecure in their own country.

Mr Khan said that PTI government put education and health sectors on top of priorities. Chief Minister Parvez Khattak recently announced a hefty package for doctors that would help to ensure presence of physicians at health facilities in remote areas and provision of better healthcare to the people, he added.

Planting a sapling to inaugurate a forest in Jhok Dhap Chek Kacha area in Dera Ismail Khan on the pattern of Changa Monga in Lahore, the PTI chief said that timber mafia was very strong so a special force would be established to cope with the illegal cutting of trees.

He said that the special force would be equipped with latest weapons and all possible resources to check movement of timber mafia.

The PTI chief said that crime rate plunged by 60 per cent in the province during the last one year. He said that the day was not far when complete peace would be restored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Mr Khan also released three falcons on this occasion. The birds had been seized by wildlife department officials in separate actions. Two other birds were freed by Provincial Revenue Minister Ali Ameen Gandapur and tehsil naib nazim Mohammad Rehan.

Mr Khan appreciated wildlife authorities for their successful action against bird smugglers. He also stressed the need for taking stern legal action against those involved in illegal trafficking of birds and wild species.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015