PTI holds rally in Peshawar: KP CM says projects worth Rs142 billion launched in provincial capital

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan on Sunday said that work was in progress on various development projects worth Rs142 billion in the provincial capital.

Speaking at the public rally on Dilazak Road, which the opposition parties termed as flopped show, he said that projects worth Rs1 billion each would be launched at every constituency in Peshawar. Apparently it was the first major bid of the provincial government to judge its popularity among the masses in the wake of growing inflation and price-hike.

The chief minister said that keeping in view the health facilities requirements of Peshawar region, a tertiary level hospital under public private partnership, would also be established. “The country was facing a difficult situation when Prime Minister Imran Khan came into power. The previous government had borrowed huge foreign loans and the economy of the country was on the verge of collapse,” he said, adding, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had taken practical steps to revive the economy but, unfortunately, it was badly hit by the corona pandemic.

However, he said, the PTI government through an effective strategy steered the economy of the country out of the crisis, which was acknowledged and appreciated worldwide.

Mahmood Khan remarked that the coronavirus had hit the economies across the globe, which resulted in the current wave of inflation in Pakistan. The government was taking steps to provide maximum relief to the public in the prevailing situation, he added.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced a historic package worth Rs120 billion to give relief to the general masses. “The provincial government will divert the development budget to give maximum relief to the people, if need arose,” he added.

He blamed the flawed economic policies of the previous rulers as another reason for the current inflation and said that during the past seventy years various political parties ruled the country and looted the public exchequer. The previous governments did not make any planning for the future of the country, which has now resulted in the current inflation, he claimed.

Mahmood Khan stated that the merger of Ex-Fata was a complicated and difficult task but the provincial government completed the entire process of the merger in two years. “And now the government is focusing on the accelerated development of these areas,” he said, adding that the completion of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit Project was another challenge for the provincial government, which had turned into an iconic project of public transport.

He added that completion of Swat Motorway Phase-I and launching of Rashakai Special Economic Zone were yet another two important achievements of the provincial government. The chief minister remarked that the provincial government was working under a well-conceived planning in agriculture, industry and other sectors.

Similarly, the provincial government was working on the establishment of economic zones and construction of motorways in the province to make the province a hub of trade and industrial activities, adding that Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, Swat Motorway, Chitral Motorway and Khyber Pass Economic Corridor projects, on completion, would connect all the districts of the province with one another and thus boost trade and economic activities.

Mahmood Khan termed Sehat Card Plus Scheme as a flagship project of his government and said that under the scheme cent percent population of the province was being provided free healthcare facilities.

Mahmood Khan said the provincial government had earmarked Rs10 billion in the current budget for the food card scheme to give relief to the needy families of the province. He added that education cards would also be launched very soon to give support to the needy students to pursue their academic career in reputed educational institutions across the country.

It is worth mentioning here that the PTI had won all the five national assembly and 11 provincial assembly seats from Peshawar. The rally was scheduled to start at 12 noon but the organisers had to delay it to wait for the arrivals of the party senior leaders. There were a few hundred people at the scheduled time at the venue.

However, a couple of hours later the venue was full of the party workers. The enthusiastic party workers were holding party flags and were chanting slogans. The organisers had claimed that more than 4000 chairs had been placed on the road for the rally participants.