Sehat ka Ittehad programme inaugurated

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan admitted on Friday that his party could not make a new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the speed it wanted but promised it would soon leave all provinces behind in infrastructure and human development.
Speaking on the government-run “Pakhtunkhwa Radio,” he said in a candid admission that his party’s inexperience in running the government hobbled the speed of reforms and development.
“The making of the new Pakhtunkhwa with the speed we wanted was actually unattainable given the fact that it was our first experience to run a government,” he told listeners in response to a question by a caller, Walid.
“We have learned from our mistakes. I assure you that no province would be able to compete with this province once we materialize the infrastructure and human development projects,” he said.
Imran Khan spent a busy day in the provincial capital in keeping with his promise to focus on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after wrapping up the his months-long protest sit-in in Islamabad.This was his second visit to the province in three days, showing his new commitment to the province. He kicked off the “Sehat ka Ittehad” vaccination campaign and attended the radio programme where he received calls to get feedback about the performance of the PTI government.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani flanked him in the radio studio, but they did not participate in the discussion.
Imran Khan alleged that other political parties had taken turns to rule but failed to deliver. “But our government is different. We are investing in human development like education, health, justice system, police and other sectors. This will bring about a real change,” he argued.
The PTI head said development and prosperity was impossible without peace and this was the reason his party’s government was focusing on police and its training. He added there could be no improvement in health and education sectors unless their structures were retooled. “I came to know that Lady Reading Hospital is 1,800-bed hospital. It’s really a big hospital but it does not have the number of nurses and doctors required for its size. We are going to hire them soon,” he said.He expressed happiness when a caller from Lower Dir demanded upgrading of schools. saying that it showed how much people cared about their children’s education.
Imran Khan said the provincial government was spending 28 percent of the budget on education, a share he said no other province had allocated to it. He promised to further increase the education budget.
Responding to another questioner, Umar Farooq Marwat, from Lakki Marwat, Imran Khan warned the federal government in unambiguous words against changing the route of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor. He stressed the western route that would pass through Dera Ismail Khan must be retained as it would bring development to the underdeveloped areas like Lakki Marwat.
“I will launch protest along with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan if the route is changed,” he promised.All political parties have already reacted severely to reports that the route is being changed. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government is trying to allay these concerns but political leadership of the province and people are still skeptical.
The PTI chief said the local government elections would be held to bring about a real change. “It would enable communities to decide about their priorities with regard to development projects. We want them to run primary schools. We want them to report on BHUs and police stations,” he remarked.
In regard to traffic mess in Peshawar, he alleged the federal government failed an Rs4 billion bus project by not giving railways land for its route. He promised to bring a master plan for Peshawar soon.
Earlier, he inaugurated the “Sehat ka Ittehad” vaccination programme that would inoculate children in KP and Fata against nine diseases, including the endemic polio.
Imran Khan acknowledged the support of the federal government and Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan in undertaking the programme. He hoped to rid the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and KP of polio and other child-related diseases.