PESHAWAR - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Parvez Khattak has asked the federal government to immediately pay 157 billion rupees arrears of the net-hydel profit and exempt Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from all kind of taxes.
He was addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister Secretariat on Friday. Provincial Information Minister Shah Farman, MPA Shaukat Yousafzi and Minister for Elementary Education Mohammad Attif were also accompanied him.
The chief minister on this occasion expressed deep concern over unannounced loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and asked the WAPDA high-ups to stop discriminatory attitude with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said despite repeated requests, the federal government is not paying heed to their demands. He said like Balochistan, the federal government should also declare Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a hard area as the province is facing deficiency of officers.
He also demanded the federal government to send back the FC platoons of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are doing duties in Punjab and Karachi. He also mentioned their total share in PSDP is 14.9 per cent while the province is receiving only 1.5 per cent shares.
The chief minister reiterated that they are ready to manage WAPDA if the federal government handover the overall matters to the province. He said they are not ready to deal with only billing system of PESCO but they want overall mechanism of power distribution.
He said as per the 16 per cent share, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa needs 2000 mega watt electricity but the province is receiving only 1300 mega watt electricity. He said they are going to set up a protest camp against WAPDA to meet their demands. "Peaceful protest is their right and such protests were also led by Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif in the past," he added.
He said the PTI has brought considerable reforms in the administration and governance of the province and these changes have been felt by the masses in every sector. He said the government has separated administration cadre and medical cadre in all hospitals which would resolve all issues related to the duty of doctors.
He said out of 900 doctors, 500 hundred doctors have submitted their ACRs while rest of the doctors would also be forced to submit their ACRs. He said very soon construction and development would be started in the province and the masses will feel a clear change in each sector of life.
He said 42 schools have been renovated on modern lines through Tameer-e-School Programme. He said action has been taken against 962 teachers who are receiving their salaries at homes while 760 schools damaged in earthquake have been rehabilitated.
MORE REGISTRATION POINTS FOR NWA IDPS DEMANDED
Quami Watan Party (QWP) has demanded the government to ease registration process for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of North Waziristan Agency by establishing additional registration and food distribution points at their makeshift camps.
The demand was made by QWP Provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Sherpao while addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Friday. He said that IDPs were confronting numerous difficulties due to the lengthy registration process and lack of sufficient food distribution points and available staffs there.
Owing to lack of awareness about the exact location of registration and food distribution points, Sikandar Sherpao said, a number of IDPs were deprived of package and left them empty hands after waiting and standing in long queues in scorching heat in the holy month of Ramazan, which was completely injustice with them. He also said that health facilities for IDPs were negligible at their makeshift camps and expressed fear of outbreak of epidemic diseases as a large number of children are also among the displaced persons.
Criticising both the PML-N-led federal and PTI-led provincial governments for point scoring, the QWP chairman asked the rulers to make coordinated efforts to mitigate sufferings of the IDPs.
Commenting on the performance of PTI-led government, Sikandar Sherpao said it was completely failed to deliver during its over one year rule in the province. He also slammed the reshuffling of officers from provincial information departments to other institutions, saying the step was taken to pave way for corruption in newspapers advertisements.