The session of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was held on Monday with Speaker, Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani in the chair. The session discussed a wide range of issues relating to the Public interest and wellbeing of the People of province. Several MPA’s initiated attention seeking motions such as salaries increase, availability of essential commodities, Universities grants, price hikes and law and order situation in the Province. During the session, Speaker Provincial Assembly Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani expressed his resentment over the uncompleted and delayed response of officers from the Finance Department. While responding to the queries, Advisor to Chief Minister, Khaliqur Rehman said the KP government was taking steps to announce a raise in salaries of its employees in the next budget. On provision of essential commodities, Advisor to CM said that Provincial government would provide 21,000 tons of sugar on subsidized rates of Rs. 85 per KG to its people. According to him, Wheat Points have been established at village level to provide 4000 tons of subsidized wheat to the people. Further, it was told that government has released the grants to all Universities of the province. Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is ruling the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province for last eight years. The people of the province voted PTI during General Election 2013 due to its fascinating agenda of change. Pervaiz Khattak led PTI government completed five years term in office during 2013-2018 in the province but could not bring any significant change in the province except nominal Police Reforms. However, the people of the province again expressed their confidence in PTI because there was a concept that it may not have delivered due to PML-N government in the Center. Now, the people have high expectations from the PTI government in KP and in the Center to perform substantially for their benefit. The Public want to see happening the high dreams PTI perceived while being in the opposition. The slogan of Riyasat-e-Madina is very encouraging but the acts must be matched with the words otherwise the resentment against the government starts growing in the masses. Presently, KP Police reforms have been vanished due to extensive political involvement in the department by the Provincial and Federal Ministers and PTI Politicians. The Sehat Card Plus Program launched by the Provincial government has yet not fully operationalized in most of the parts of the Province particularly in DI Khan and Hazara Divisions.
Both the provincial and Central governments projects similar narrative of paying back Rs. 35000 billion of debt and rule of Nawaz and Zardari, however, KP Provincial government should not count these Federal statistics. It must project its achievements in the province over the last eight years.
The people have reservations that why provincial government did not spend the development funds of Rs. 54 billion in the province during year 2018-2019 and returned to center. The KP government must come up to the expectations of the people of the province. It must work to fully operationalize the Healthcare policy in all corners of the province. KP government has two years on its disposal to transform the province into real version of Riyasat-e-Madina through its public centered agenda. It should expand its focus out of Peshawar to neglected areas such as DI Khan, Malakand and Hazara for future development projects.
