MARDAN: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar on Sunday criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf government for doing nothing for the development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Punjab is witnessing development while KP has been turned into ruins,” he told a workers’ convention here.
The event was attended by several prominent PML-N leaders, including Opposition Leader in the KP Assembly Dr Ibadullah, former governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, district president Inayat Shah Bacha, central youth information secretary Khadim Ali Khan, Nawabzada Arsala Khan, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, and Ikhtiyar Wali Khan. A large number of party workers also participated in the gathering.
Safdar emphasised that governments cannot be run through “magic” but by following the principles of the State of Medina. He asserted that Maryam Nawaz had transformed Punjab with extensive development projects, while KP continued to face deprivation.
The PMLN leader criticized the PTI’s 11-year rule in KP, claiming it had pushed the province to the brink of destruction. He argued that if Nawaz Sharif’s development projects were removed, there would be little progress left to show in the province. He praised Nawaz Sharif for initiating mega projects such as motorways, tunnels, and dams, contrasting it with what he described as PTI’s failures. He announced that PMLN senior vice-president Maryam Nawaz has pledged Rs10 billion for development projects in KP. He revealed that she plans to distribute laptops among students and send university youth to London for education, emphasizing PMLN’s commitment to the province’s progress.
He urged the people of KP to choose between development and continued deprivation, reiterating that Nawaz Sharif’s leadership aimed at prosperity and modernisation. He further alleged that former prime minister Imran Khan had disgraced the country by selling a gifted watch from Saudi Arabia, adding that corruption had increased under PTI’s governance. He also accused Ali Amin Gandapur of using derogatory language against political opponents.