SWABI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday warned that if the excessive power cuts in the province weren’t controlled, then his government would stop electric supply to the entire country.

He, however, did not explain howthat would happen.

“We want an immediate end to the excessive power outages in our province,” Mr Gandapur told a function held here to mark the completion of the first phase of the Pehur High Level Canal extension project.

The participants included ministers, MPAs, officials of the irrigation department, and PTI leaders and workers.

The chief minister also announced that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, would begin a movement for the release of its incarcerated leader, Imran Khan, after Eidul Azha.

Gandapur says PTI to begin movement for Imran’s release after Eid

He said the people would actively participate in that drive.

“We want real freedom and will continue fighting for it,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said his government won’t make any compromises on the province’s rights and would continue its struggle to get them from the centre.

He announced that the single-line 18km Swabi-Topi Road would be doubled to ease traffic load, while other development projects would be executed in the region.

Earlier, the chief minister inaugurated the PHCL extension project, which is meant to irrigate arid land in the Malikabad and Pabini areas of the Gadoon Amazai region, parts of the Jhanda union council, and the entire Maini union council.

Irrigation officials told Dawn that the first phase of the project was seven kilometres long.

They said the entire project was expected to be completed in the next three years.

The officials said the Rs15.6 billion project’s first phase promised the irrigation of 8,000 acres of land that would help the district become self-sufficient in wheat production and its own requirements.

On the occasion, PTI central leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said that his party didn’t accept the ordinance issued a day ago about the appointment of retired judges to election tribunals.

“This ordinance has made it clear that our public mandate was stolen and a fake government is in place in the centre striving to protect its members from accountability,” he said.

Mr Qaiser demanded an investigation into the “wheat scandal” and said the PTI stood with the poor farmers of the Punjab province and wouldn’t allow anyone to exploit them.

“A tribunal should be set up to probe the wheat scandal,” he said.

The PTI leader said that the federal government should release former prime minister Imran Khan from jail.

He said the political leaders, who seized power with the help of a fake public mandate, would illegally accumulate wealth instead of working for people’s welfare and were bound to fail.

Mr Qaiser said the incumbent rulers had harmed the nation in the past and would do so in the future as well.

Provincial irrigation minister Aqibullah Khan highlighted salient features of the PHLC extension project, which, he said, would bring about a great socioeconomic change in the province.

“Now, the farmers will be able to grow different crops on their arid lands,” he said.

The minister said that the growers should no longer worry about the irrigation of their crops as the PHLC extension project would provide them with abundant water.

Local MNA Shahram Khan Tarakai and MPA Rangaiz Khan also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2024