KOHAT: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had lost confidence in the Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf because the party had failed to bring about change in any sector or solve people’s problems since it came to power three years ago.

The “mammoth meetings” held by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu were clear proof of the PTI’s poor performance and failure to fulfil its slogan of bringing about a real change in the province, the prime minister said while addressing a public meeting in Kohat.

Local PTI lawmakers and activists held a protest outside the Fortress Ground — the venue of the prime minister’s public meeting.

Mr Sharif criticised the opposition, saying it could not digest the development projects being carried out by the PML-N government in the country.

Development projects promised in Kohat

He claimed that the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank had appreciated the government’s efforts to reduce unemployment in the country. He said the government was connecting every big city to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor route through highways and motorways so that every province could benefit from it.

He recalled that when the PML-N came to power it was faced with four major problems — terrorism, low economic growth, loadshedding and lack of development. But during the past three years, he claimed, the PML-N government had achieved a huge success by containing terrorism, installing mega power projects to end loadshedding by 2018 and speeding up industrial growth.

KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, former governor Mehtab Ahmed Khan, PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ameer Muqam and other party leaders were present on the occasion.

The prime minister praised the army and police personnel and the people of Fata for making peace a reality by rendering unprecedented sacrifices. He said that billions of rupees were being spent on rehabilitation of tribesmen.

Mr Sharif also performed the groundbreaking of a Rs3.9 billion project for supplying gas to Chorlakki, Ustarzai, Khushalgarh, Sher Kot, Alizai, Nasrat Khel and Dhoda areas. He approved the construction of a university for women in Kohat.

The prime minister also announced a hospital for Kohat and construction of a highway linking Kohat, Jand and Pindi Ghep with the motorway as well as a double-lane road between Kohat, Karak and D.I. Khan for the same purpose.

He announced Rs200 million for the district council and Rs100m for tehsil council for carrying out development projects in the area.

In his welcome address, former senator Abbas Khan Afridi said he would provide free land for a new hospital and operate it under the foundation established in the memory of his father.

Published in Dawn October 29th, 2016