SHANGLA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won’t go bankrupt and would make all the due payments.

Addressing the Shangla University inauguration ceremony here, the chief minister complained that the centre hadn’t pay the province Rs65 billion net hydel profit and other dues, while the National Finance Commission Award had also not been announced for months.

“We [KP government] have taken up the payment issue with the federal government,” he said.

Mr Mahmood warned that if the centre didn’t clear dues, members of the provincial government would stage a sit-in outside the National Assembly.

CM inaugurates Shangla varsity

He said the provincial government had the ability and plans to manage financial issues.

The chief minister said the Shangla University was a gift from the provincial government for the children of local coal miners, who would get free education.

He said the university would contribute to the district’s development.

Mr Mahmood said his government was focusing on the development of least developed Malakand, Hazara and ex-Fata regions in line with the vision of PTI chief Imran Khan.

“We are committed to addressing your issues by providing huge development funds and constructing schools, health centres and roads,” he said.

The chief minister said his government would provide more funds for the reconstruction of schools destroyed by the 2005 earthquake.

He also announced that he was to order inquiries through anti-corruption agencies against contractors, who are delaying completion of their respective projects. No contractor will be spared if 93 per cent of the work is incomplete,” he said.

The chief minister also announced the construction of the Chakesar-Karora-Ajmeer Road.

He said the government was allocating huge sums of money to create employment opportunities in Shangla and building roads turn the district into a tourism hub.

Mr Mahmood said once jobs were created for the residents through the promotion of tourism, the locals won’t need to go to Balochistan to take up the coal mining job.

He said students would be given free education, while fee would be returned to those, who had already paid it.

The chief minister said he was in contact with the Balochistan authorities over the abduction of miners from Shangla and had directed labour minister Shaukat Yousafzai to make efforts for the safe recovery of abductees.

He urged the residents of Shangla, especially youth, to participate in the PTI’s Haqeeqi Azadi March in Rawalpindi on November 26.

Minister Shaukat Yousafzai and chairman of the Alpuri tehsil council Waqar Ahmad Khan were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2022