CHARSADDA, April 5: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has appealed to all political and linguistic groups in Karachi to jointly work for peace to restore its identity as the city of lights.

Speaking at Awami National Party’s workers convention on Thursday in Madyan, Swat valley, the minister said that whenever he heard of casualties in Karachi it pained him, as they considered all citizens of Pakistan as brothers and sisters.

Provincial ministers Ayub Khan and Wajid Ali also spoke on the occasion besides MPAs Sher Shah and Jafar Shah.

Mr Hussain said that with the death of each bread earner of a family, his wife, children, parents and dependents needed help forever.

He appealed to the government to carry out indiscriminate clean-up operation in Karachi.

The information minister said that Pakhtuns were busy in the war for the country’s survival for last many years and as such they needed cooperation of people of all sections in the country.

He announced that the second phase of Watan Cards distribution would start soon after scrutiny of the list of affected people. Mr Hussain said that he would contact the authorities of Water and Power Development Authority for starting construction work on Madyan Grid Station, as land was available for the project.

The minister also said that construction work on Madyan-Kalam Road project would start soon.

He asked the local administration to speed up efforts for buying land for construction of Madyan hospital.

Earlier, he addressed the Matta Tehsil Bar Association and announced a grant of Rs500,000 for it.

PROTEST: Local workers and leaders of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party on Thursday staged a protest demonstration here at Nishat Chowk against possible levy of taxes in Swat, price hike, unemployment and prolonged loadshedding.

Holding banners the protesters also chanted slogans against the government. Party’s provincial deputy secretary Khalid Mehmood, district secretary Khursheed and others spoke at the rally and demanded that the whole Malakand division should be declared a tax-free region.