ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam) on Sunday announced to support Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in all the three seats of Islamabad in the July 25 elections.

The announcement was made by PML-Q leader Rizwan Sadiq at a press conference held at National Press Club with PTI leader Asad Umar.

Mr Sadiq said his party would play its role to get maximum votes for all the PTI three candidates.

Mr Umar thanked PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for the decision to support the PTI.

He expressed the hope that the PTI would manage to form the next government and would start work on supplying 10 million gallon daily (MGD) water to the federal capital.

“Not only water but also all basic facilities will be provided in educational institutions. We will show how issues can be addressed,” he said.

Trader leader Ajmal Baloch, after announcing to join the PTI, said Imran Khan was the only honest leader in the country. He said the leadership of the PML-N had promised to address issues being faced by traders but it did nothing.

APP adds: Mr Umar said due to negligence shown by governments during the previous decade, the water crisis aggravated in the federal capital. He asked former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who is also a candidate from a constituency in Islamabad, to tell the residents what steps he took to resolve the capital’s water, education and health issues.

“If the PTI forms the government after winning the elections, both the expected prime minister and the finance minister will be the elected members from Islamabad, so the capital will get full attention of the government and will get its due rights,” Mr Umar added.

He said he would also help establishing a state-of-the-art hospital in rural areas of ICT while extension of Pims would also be ensured.

Moreover, he said, the capital’s solid waste management system would be given due attention while a graveyard in rural areas would be built.

When asked about the latest increase in the petroleum prices by the caretaker government, Mr Umar attributed it to the economic policies of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar, saying due to their policies foreign reserves depleted sharply while the country’s debt burden increased to new heights which caused the huge rupee devaluation.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2018