Niaz wants to develop Shangla into a model district

PESHAWAR: Shangla District Nazim Niaz Ahmad Khan, the youngest among the district nazims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is confident of serving the people of his underdeveloped and remote district to the best of their expectations and bringing the it on a par with the developed parts of the country.
Niaz Ahmad is the elder son of Amir Muqam, senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and advisor to prime minister. The 23-year and eight-month old young politician doesn’t feel shy of giving credit to his father for playing a key role in his success.
“I am nothing without my father. It is true that without his support I would never have got this great honour at this young age. But I certainly have a vision of playing a role for the development of my area and it is my right to join politics to serve my people,” he told The News.
Born on December 28, 1991, Niaz Ahmad got his early education at Sangota Public School, Swat. He recently completed his Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA-Honours) from Bahria University, Islamabad.
Niaz Ahmad is married and is father of the school-going Ameer Midrar Khan and minor Zara Khan.
He said he entered politics when his father was elected union council nazim unopposed.
Later, Niaz said he pursued his studies and also worked along with his father when he was elected Member of National Assembly and federal minister.
He recalled that he saw his father work day and night for the wellbeing of his people and this inspired him to go into politics. “My sole aim is to serve the people of my area. I had never thought of becoming a nazim at this stage. Now when I have got the opportunity, I would leave no stone unturned in making my district a developed one,” he stressed.
Quoting some reports, he said Shangla was the second most underdeveloped district in the country. “I would prove these reports wrong. I would work hard and undertake uplift schemes to make Shangla one of the top five or 10 developed districts in the country,” he declared.
Niaz Ahmad said he would strive to promote education and healthcare in his district. He said he will also focus attention on infrastructural development. However, he said his prime area of interest was promotion of tourism in his scenic district.
“Shangla is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The promotion of tourism would certainly contribute to the overall development of the district,” he opined.
He remarked that he was young, but not a novice in politics. “I have learnt a lot working with my father. Also, I have visited 30 to 35 countries,” he added.
About PML-N’s success in Shangla and the adjacent Swat district, which is considered the stronghold of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, he said it was due to the efforts of Amir Muqam, which reinvigorated the party in Malakand division.
He said that his father served the people 24/7 and throughout the year.
“We campaigned for five years. We shared the grief and happiness of our people. This was the reason that the people reposed trust in us and we managed to secure victory in the PTI-dominated districts like Swat,” he maintained.
Niaz Ahmad said the PML-N also performed well in other districts like Buner, Peshawar and Kohat owing to the tireless efforts of Amir Muqam.