PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has approved construction of a national park spreading over an area of 1,800 kanals in Kheshgi area of Nowshera district. The project will be executed in collaboration with the Pakistan Air Force.

The chief minister also approved health and education projects in Saidu Sharif and establishment of commercial aircraft maintenance college for the youth of the province.

Presiding over a meeting here, the chief minister said the provincial government was paying special attention to the healthcare and education of the poor segments of the society, according to an official statement issued here on Sunday.

“Our policies are poor-friendly unlike the previous governments which deprived the people of their basic rights due to wrong policies. Now everything is all together changed; rich and poor will get equal opportunities of progress and development without any discrimination,” he said.

MPA Idrees Khan, head of strategic support unit Shaibzada Saeed, former chief of air staff air chief marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, principal adviser to chief minister on technical training and aviation air commodore Mohammad Amin, administrative secretaries of respective departments, additional DC Nowshera and other concerned officials attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed various schemes to be completed by the provincial government in collaboration with PAF. It also approved a hospital near Saidu Sharif, projects of schools and colleges and a meat processing training centre.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Khattak said that the provincial government was working on development and welfare projects, simultaneously. He said the government’s main focus was on the neglected segments of the society. He said provision of educational facilities and establishment of professional and vocational training centres were the top priorities of his government.

The chief minister said that merit and transparency were the hallmark of the present government. “We have established autonomous boards, authorities and companies enabling them to take right decisions.”

He said that the KP government had also depoliticised the institutions. “Our main focus is the betterment of common man.”

Mr Khattak admitted that more steps were required to be taken and consistency was necessary for establishment of a welfare society.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2017