PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Monday said the PTI government didn’t believe in dictatorship or solo flight but wanted political cohesion and moving ahead in consultation with political parties.

“We’re implementing the vision of our party leader, Imran Khan, for bringing about a good change in the people’s socioeconomic conditions. Other political parties should join hands with us for it,” he told PML-Q provincial president Intikhab Chamkani during a meeting at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in the provincial capital.

Intikhab Chamkani delivered to the chief minister his party leadership’s the message of goodwill and support for the ‘mission of change.’

He congratulated him on the successful holding of all party conference on IDPs and protest against the excessive loadshedding.

Says centre doing nothing except point scoring on mass displacement

Adviser to the chief minister on environment Ishtiaq Urmar was also present in the meeting.

The chief minister said the government would welcome the cooperation of all those parties, which supported its mission of eliminating corruption, ensuring supremacy of merit, law and justice, and making the public sector institutions subservient to the people.

He said his government made the best possible arrangements for the welfare of IDPs though the matter was related to the federal government but the centre was doing nothing except point scoring for the purpose.

Khattak said his government was committed to eliminating corruption, nepotism, extortion and terrorism in its departments and improving performance of health and educational institutions, police and revenue offices.

He said PTI was a democratic and political party and would not only welcome positive criticism but would also want consultation and guidance from political forces in all affairs.

The chief minister said the government besides maintaining law and order had also taken drastic steps for power generation in the province, which would contribute a lot to socioeconomic development.

He said besides optimally using limited resources, the government had also repeatedly requested the federal government for financing hydropower projects in the province, but to no avail.

Khattak said the centre had promised reduction in power cuts and payment of net hydel profit arrears but the promised had yet to be fulfilled.

“The federation will grow stronger, while national integrity will boost if the centre fulfils its promises,” he said.

The chief minister said his party’s differences with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were based on principles.

He said the PTI didn’t want confrontation between the province and the centre nor could it think about harming democratic process.

Khattak, however, said the PTI would never accept ‘democracy-coated dictatorship’, election rigging and usurpation of rights and wanted democracy to strengthen.

“We are confident the federal government will realise the sensitivity of the situation and will show political acumen by accepting our just demands instead of confrontation,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2014