Khattak vows all steps to stamp out terror, extortion issue

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Sunday the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would go to any extent to stamp out terrorism and deal with the extortion issue.

He was speaking at two public meetings in Kheshgi Payan and Khansher Garhi, Pabbi. Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Jamsheddudin Kakakhel, Member National Assembly Dr Imran Khattak, MPA Mian Khaliqur Rehman, District Nazim Liaquat Khattak and others also spoke on the occasion.

The chief minister said that led by General Raheel Sharif, the army was determined to eliminate terrorism from the country through the Operation Zarb-e-Azb. “There is an improvement in the law and order situation due to the sacrifices offered by the army, police and other law-enforcement agencies,” he added.

Talking of the extortion issue faced by the traders and business community of Peshawar, Pervez Khattak said the Apex Committee in the recent meeting took important decisions to end the misuse of the Afghan SIMs in making extortion calls from Afghanistan.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government will extend all cooperation to the army to curb the extortion issue. I will accompany Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra and other members of the delegation to Afghanistan to take up with the Afghan government officials the issue of extortion calls and repatriation of Afghan refugees,” he went on to say.

About the reservations of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, the chief minister said Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal had responded to his letter and addressed to a great extent the KP’s reservations over the project.

Pervez Khattak said he would hold the next round of talks in this regard with the federal government this week.

“We will discuss the schemes to be undertaken under the CPEC project. The KP will give a timetable for the launch of these projects, making it clear which project to be taken first,” explained the chief minister.

Pervez Khattak defended the performance of his government and said that independent organisations had acknowledged that they had been successful in various sectors. He claimed that other provinces were emulating the KP in various initiatives.

The chief minister backed the Peshawar Electric Supply Company’s drive against the power thieves and said the KP government would extend all cooperation to the entity in this regard. He said there would be minimum loadshedding in the areas showing maximum recovery. Pervez Khattak said Nowshera would soon have a technical university and Air University.