DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Sunday revealed a comprehensive initiative which would be put into motion soon, aimed at restoring law and order in the province, with additional measures to ensure the safety of police and other law enforcement officials.

Talking to the media during his first visit to his home district, Dera Ismail Khan, following his election, Mr Gandapur also touched upon improvements in the healthcare sector, vowing that public hospitals would now match the services offered by private institutions.

Referring to his political opponents, the KP chief minister said he feared those “incompetent people” would take the country to a point of no return. He likened the ruling PML-N and their allies in the Centre and other provinces to a “cancer” for the country.

Mr Gandapur’s remarks come days after his ice-breaking meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in which he assured the premier of working together “with a positive intention to resolve problems of the people”.

Mr Gandapur insisted that his teams were serving the people of Dera Ismail Khan even though he had to go underground for nearly two years.

“I have been elected from only one constituency. Where are the MNAs and MPAs of other constituencies of Dera Ismail Khan who were claiming to serve the people?” he wondered.

Commenting on the current wave of inflation, he said the provincial government would give Rs10,000 each to 850,000 deserving families of the province under the Ramazan package. The amount would be handed over to them on their doorstep respectfully, he mentioned.

He said shelter homes had been reopened by ensuring all facilities for the needy people. However, the government would also take steps for providing business opportunities to people rather than only giving them charity or stipend, he added.

He said women would be provided jobs at their homes and youth would be provided with skill training, for which consultation was also underway with other countries.

The provincial government would construct small dams, he said, adding that work on the Tank Zam dam would be started soon. Besides, work on the Lift Canal project in Dera Ismail Khan will also begin soon.

Mr Gandapur said that he had positive talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in which the premier assured extending support of federal government for resolving KP’s issues, including the payment of pending dues of the province.

He said the provincial government would also cooperate with the federal government in this regard, keeping in view the country’s economic situation.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2024