LAKKI MARWAT: Awami National Party provincial president Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Wednesday accused Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan of deceiving the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through false promises and said that the ruling party had failed to serve the masses.

Speaking at a public meeting in Naurang town here, he asked the people of Punjab and other provinces not to give any weight to the claims of PTI chief as he wanted to deceive them like he did in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The PTI-led government is not concerned about the deprivations of Pakhtuns rather its leadership is making efforts to get sympathies of the people of Punjab,” he said.

Referring to a statement of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak that the politics of ANP has been buried, Mr Hoti said that such mammoth public gatherings were enough to prove that ANP had strong roots in masses and would sweep general elections in 2018.

He said that his party leaders would visit every nook and corner of the province to bring Pakhtuns on a single platform so as to stop the leaders from Punjab and other provinces from grabbing power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He claimed that ANP could put the province on the path of real progress.

Says ANP has strong roots in masses

The ANP leader said that his party would continue struggle for the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. “On the one side, the federal government is constructing motorways in Punjab, on the other the road infrastructure in the militancy-stricken Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is in a dilapidated condition,” he said.

He demanded of the federal government to construct motorways and set up industrial zones in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He alleged that the PTI leaders were keeping mum over CPEC, as Imran Khan could not afford to displease the people of Punjab.

Mr Hoti supported the Fata-KP merger, saying it would enhance representation of Pakhtuns in the parliament and their share in resources. He said that the backward districts were given due share in uplift funds during the ANP’s tenure. He said that several mega projects, including bridges and colleges, were also completed in Lakki Marwat district.

He asked the people to vote for ANP in the next general elections. MPA Sardar Hussain Babak, Aimal Wali Khan, former MPA Yasmeen Zia and Sadruddin advocate also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2017