PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to withdraw the perks and privileges of the province’s former chief ministers.

“As a poor country, we can’t afford to provide perks and privileges to former CMs. All these facilities, including guards and government vehicles, are being taken back [from them] here,” newly-elected Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur told reporters after his cabinet’s first meeting at the Civil Secretariat here on Friday.

Besides cabinet members, the provincial chief secretary, additional chief secretaries, and administrative secretaries of the provincial departments also attended the meeting.

The CM said his government was working to improve the law-and-order situation.

“Our priority is to provide the maximum possible relief to the inflation-hit people,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said instead of talking about the past, the government would move on.

He said his party had political and ideological differences with those ruling the centre but still, the provincial government wanted a good working relationship with the federal government.

“The federal government has to clear our [KP’s] Rs1,510 billion dues, but those payments haven’t been made despite several reminders. I suggest that if the centre can’t do that, it should subsidise power and gas for KP and deduct that subsidy from the province’s arrears,” he said.

The CM said the cabinet, in order to provide relief to the deserving people amid high inflation, approved a Rs8.5 billion Ramazan relief package for them.

“Under the Ramazan Package, 850,000 households listed in the Ehsaas-Benazir Income Support Programme will be provided with Rs10,000 cash each,” the chief minister said, according to an official statement issued by the CM’s Secretariat.

It added that 115,000 households not listed in the programme for any reason would also get Rs10,000 each.

The newly-elected government has already ordered the reactivation of all langar khanas (soup kitchens) established by the last PTI government by Ramazan 1.

It also said dastarkhawans (food points) would be established in district and tehsil headquarters hospitals across the province at the time of sehar and iftar during Ramazan.

The CM said it was one of his government’s top priorities to promote employment opportunities in the province, while special attention would be given to the development of skills in youth, who would also get interest-free loans to start their own businesses.

He said in light of the prevailing economic situation and its adverse impacts on people’s lives, the provision of relief to the people as well as the improvement of the law and order situation would be the top priority of the provincial government.

“As the first step of relief, our cabinet has decided to fully restore the Sehat Card Plus scheme from the first day of Ramazan,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said the clearance of Rs1510 billion dues by the centre would help the province overcome financial problems.

“We are not asking the centre for charity. Instead, we are demanding our legitimate and constitutional rights,” the statement quoted the CM as saying.

He said he was aware of the current economic situation of the country, and therefore, he didn’t demand the clearance of all its dues in a single go.

“A viable mechanism about the issue can be devised with mutual understanding,” he said.

Mr Gandapur urged people to raise voice against corruption and bribery and help the government eradicate the menace. He also asked them to monitor the quality of work on development projects.

He said there won’t be power cuts for three hours during iftar and sehar hours in both urban and rural areas.

“If it does not happen, people need to tell us. Power outages due to technical faults can happen, but other kinds of loadshedding won’t be acceptable,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2024