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PESHAWAR, Nov 28: In an attempt to allay West’s reservations regarding Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s elevation to the central political stage after the October polls, MMA’s candidate for chief ministership, Akram Khan Durrani, has said that he would try to remove western countries reservations as the MMA-led government in the province would strive to play a constructive role.
“We would try to remove their (western countries) reservations, if any,” Durrani told journalists in the NWFP Assembly premises here on Thursday.
The MMA, he added: “Wants peace and believes in friendly ties ... for which the future provincial government will strive hard.”
During the course of press talk, the MMA nominee for the top provincial government slot appeared to be very cautious about his words, apparently, after undergoing a controversy over certain remarks he offered in an interview to a foreign news agency on Tuesday last.
The news agency had quoted him as saying that the MMA would continue its stand against the government’s pro-US policies, particularly operations aided by them and that any operation involving FBI would not be allowed (as part of manhunt for Al Qaeda).
To a question, he said: “The West, too, should not misunderstand us, we want to remove their apprehensions.”
In this respect, he also urged journalists to help the MMA allay foreign powers’ reservations by reporting its leaders’ statements in real context.
Responding to another question regarding his government’s policies towards co-education, MMA candidate for chief ministership preferred to adopt a soft stand on the issue, and said his government would try to establish a university for girls if the provincial funds allowed.
“In our province, co-education exists only at the university level where people happen to be mature enough,” was his initial response to the questioner.
However, maintaining his party’s policy on the subject, Durrani, belonging to the conservative Bannu district of the province, said if the provincial resources allowed the future government would try to establish a separate university for girls on the patron of Punjab.
NET HYDEL PROFIT: Reiterating to make all possible efforts to protect rights of the province, he said his government would closely work with the Centre to resolve the contentious issue of net hydel profit involving the NWFP and Wapda, at odds for the last several years.
In reply to a question regarding his government’s stand on the non-payment of net hydel profit to province, he pinned high hopes on the newly-inducted federal minister for water and power Aftab Ahmed Sherpao in respect of helping the province get its constitutional right.
He said he had already discussed this issue with Sherpao in a recently held meeting and hoped that together with the new water and power minister the future provincial government would put best effort to resolve the issue in favour of the NWFP.
Replying to another question, he said the federal government should give more attention to smaller and backward provinces to help them improve the quality of people’s lives there.
“I am really optimistic that as Mr Zafarullah Jamali himself belongs to a backward province, one can hope that the prime minister will try to concentrate more on those parts of the country which are less developed,” said Durrani.
