MALAKAND: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North emir and former provincial minister Inayatullah Khan on Sunday strongly criticised the provincial government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership, alleging that poor governance, corruption and administrative inefficiency had paralysed the province’s system.

Addressing a large public gathering organised by JI in Sakhakot, Mr Inayatullah claimed that the health sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had deteriorated significantly and that corruption was widespread. He also alleged serious mismanagement in the education sector and said business activities had been adversely affected, creating several challenges for business community.

The JI leader said the pace of development in Malakand Division had come to a standstill, alleging that development projects worth billions of rupees had either been scrapped or frozen, depriving local residents of much-needed facilities.

He maintained that the province was facing growing insecurity, corruption, poor governance, unannounced electricity outage and administrative failures, while key sectors such as health and education were nearing collapse.

Mr Inayatullah alleged that the people of Malakand division were being consistently neglected and that their rights were being overlooked. He said the region’s lack of effective representation in the National Assembly had contributed to the worsening of local problems.

Referring to the federal budget, he criticised the imposition of sales and income taxes in Malakand division, arguing that the region had historically enjoyed tax-free status and that the new measures would place an additional burden on residents.

The JI leader also targeted PTI, claiming that despite its pledge to end dynastic politics, ministerial positions continued to be distributed on the basis of personal preferences.

Highlighting his party’s organisational structure, Mr Inayatullah said Jamaat-i-Islami was a democratic and ideological party where leadership emerged through merit. He said the “Badal Do Nizam” (Change the System) campaign, launched under the leadership of Jamaat-i-Islami emir, aimed to rid the country of corruption, incompetence and dynastic politics.

Questioning the state of public services in the region, Mr Inayatullah asked why the people of Malakand division continued to face prolonged power outages, insecurity and poor road infrastructure. He alleged that the PTI-led provincial government was responsible for the situation.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2026