PPP senator says he could not find BRT service

PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Aajiz Dhamrah on Wednesday said that he had accepted the challenge of the provincial minister, Shaukat Yousafzai, to visit Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), but he could not find the minister nor any bus service.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club in the presence of PPP leaders Senator Rubina Khalid, Gauhar Inqilabi and others, he said that Shaukat Yousafzai in a talk show had claimed that 130 buses were providing service to people on BRT route, which looked more developed than Europe.

Senator Aajiz also played audio recording of the talk show, wherein the minister was heard challenging him to visit BRT. Shaukat Yousafzai had claimed in the audio tape that the BRT had been functioning for the last one and a half month.

He was astonished to see that more than 100 buses were parked at Chamkani, he added.

The PPP senator said the rulers initiated the BRT in 2017 and announced to complete it in six months but he found all gates closed on various stations, and he saw no passenger anywhere from Chamkani to Hayatabad.

He deplored that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has ruined the beauty of historic city by narrowing vast roads and creating numerous problems for citizens.

He questioned the role of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for not initiating inquiry against the former chief minister Pervez Khattak, who is now federal defence minister.

“The PTI has become the party of the ones hurling abuses at opponents,” he said, adding that Shaukat Yousafzai was replaced by another unelected adviser but too was removed on corruption charges.

Ajmal Wazir, he said, was not an adviser to chief minister, but a member of the mafia of Bani Gala, who was working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The PTI leaders, he said, started hurling abuses to stop serious discussion.

Aajiz pointed out that Jang Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested to warn the media owners.

The journalist Matiullah Jan was kidnapped to send a message to media persons and those raising questions about the performance of the government, he said, adding that most of the anchors were either removed or their salaries stopped.

However, he added that the brave journalists continued raising questions. He said the fight for democracy and freedom of expression would continue. He said that the spokesman of TTP Ihsanullah Ihsan hurled threats at PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari when he criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Quoting Bilawal, he said they would continue struggle for strengthening democracy come what may and their party would continue to render sacrifices.

Senator Rubina Khalid observed the irresponsible rulers ruined the prestige of their offices. She said a person holding a responsible position should talk sensibly and avoid telling lies. She said they had been facing PTI for the last seven years.

Quoting Peshawar High Court (PHC), she said that Dr Nowsherawan Burki had ruined entire health system in KP. She said senior doctors had either left the profession or were removed from jobs.

She ridiculed the chief minister for holding previous government responsible for not constructing airports, saying the PTI was ruling KP for seven years.

It, she said, was the responsibility of the PTI to tell as to who had created shortage of flour and sugar and why people were facing shortage of necessities of life.

Terming the PTI rule as curse, she said the people had never witnessed such government in the past. The sitting rulers, she said, made the lives of people difficult.

Even the dictators, she said were good than the ones ruling the country now.

She said people were not allowed to speak and those who dared were implicated in fake cases. She said the people of KP, who had faced terrorism and came out from the crisis, would now face the BRT forever even their coming generations.

Gohar Inqilabi said the PTI failed to honour its commitment to complete BRT in six months. They started the project with Rs54 billion but now it has reached up to Rs128 billion, he added.

He posed a question if the BRT was better than the bus services in Europe then why the Federal Investigation Agency was stopped from probing irregularities in the so-called mega project.

“Why the foreign funding case [of PTI] was being stayed in the court?” he asked. There were mega corruption scandals in KP that included BRT, Billion Tree Tsunami, Malam Jabba land scam and other projects, he added.

Seven stations of BRT, he said, were still incomplete and its maps were being changed on 30 sites. Similarly, he said IT system was still incomplete. He said the PTI rulers had only ruined the system but entire Pakhtun culture and tradition during their seven years rule in KP.