NOWSHERA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said here on Tuesday that politicians should be held accountable for looting national wealth.

Addressing a public meeting in Khat Kallay here, he said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asfandyar Wali Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Haider Hoti should be made accountable for their wealth. They should tell the people as to what they had done for the welfare of masses, he added.

“The politician looted national exchequer. They should be made accountable for the looted money,” said Mr Khattak. He added that he was living in a rented house before becoming chief minister and would living in it again when his tenure ended. Provincial Minister Mian Jamshedud Din, MNA Imran Khattak, district nazim Liaquat Khattak, Mian Gohar Shah and others were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister said that it was need of hour to say goodbye to corrupt politicians as the country could not afford corruption. He said that in the next budget, greater amount would be allocated for education and health sectors. “Following the vision of PTI chairman Imran Khan, provincial government is trying to resolve the problems of poor people and create a society based on justice and merit,” he added.

Mr Khattak said they would not impose more taxes on people and would not leave any stone unturned to protect rights of the province. He said that polices of provincial government not only impressed Chinese and Malaysian investors but also attracted people of other countries to invest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The chief minister said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would play great role in development and prosperity of the region. “Different delegations of Chinese companies are coming to the province to initiate development projects,” he added.

Mr Khattak criticised the previous provincial government for what he called not focusing on generating cheap electricity. He claimed that 20,000 megawatts power could be produced easily from the water of the province.

“I don’t know why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is not interested in generating cheap electricity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he questioned. He added that provincial government had inked an accord with a Chinese company to generate 1,900 megawatts electricity.

The chief minister said that recent visit of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to the province was unsuccessful as no leader announced to join his party.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017