PESHAWAR: All Parties Conference (APC) held here on Sunday under the aegis of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) expressed concern over the ongoing wave of lawlessness in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and termed the surge in targeting killings, kidnappings for ransom and extortions as the failure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government.
The participants of the conference believed that there was nothing in the name of the government in the province. “Robbers, looters, and extortionists have been given a free hand, people are insecure and the government and its ministers are engaged in corruption and extortion”, said central chief of JUI-F and head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rahman while reading out the joint declaration after the conference.
Presided over by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the conference was attended by the provincial president and general secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Prof Mohammad Ibraheem Khan and Abdul Wasi, provincial president of Pakistan People’s Party Najmuddin Khan, Ikhtiar Wali Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Akram Khan Durrani of JUI-F and others.
The JUI-F chief warned the government to take immediate steps for the restoration of peace and order in the province, otherwise, the opposition parties of the province would consider taking a tough decision against the PTI-led provincial government.
He said the APC also expressed concern over the worst economic situation in the province. The highest loans in history taken by the current government during the nine years of its rule have pushed the province to the verge of bankruptcy.
The total volume of debts against the province in 2007 was just Rs97 billion, which rose up to Rs300 billion in 2013. But during the nine-year government of the PTI in the province, the debts have risen to Rs900 billion, while no mega project - a university, hospital, or any other development project could be launched, the Maulana said.
The provincial government would have to be held accountable for the corruption worth billions of rupees, he said.All the records of corruption have been broken by the PTI leaders and the worst nepotism was seen in the province, he said.
“From Toshakhana to Topkhana, nothing was safe from the PTI leaders,” he said while referring to the recent “cannon scam” against the provincial government. The cannons from outside the Dir House, the rest houses of the former Nawab of Dir, were shifted to Swat, which triggered concern among the people of Dir.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that the APC took stock of the deteriorated law and order situation in the province, especially the daily incidents of target killings in the newly merged districts, and urged the government to restore peace there.
The conference expressed deep sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of the security forces, police and civilians in the recent incidents in Lakki Marwat and North WaziristanThe Maulana lashed out at the bills passed by the provincial assembly with regard to the use of the official helicopter, saying that the so-called legislation was aimed at saving the skin of the PTI chief from the National Accountability Bureau.
The APC also expressed concern over the skyrocketing price hike in the province. The JUI-F chief said that in KP, which is ruled by PTI, the price of 20kg flour has reached Rs2600 and the same was available in Punjab at Rs1350. The provincial government should take immediate steps to bring the prices of daily items and give relief to the people, he stressed.
He said that the inefficiencies of the PTI were evident from its rule at the federal as well as provincial levels. “They can’t hide their incompetence and inabilities through their typical blame game. They have been exposed. The tales of their corruptions have broken all the records of alleged malpractices of the past,” he told a questioner.About the performance of the federal government, the PDM chief said they did not have an idea of the damages inflicted on the economy by the PTI during their three-year rule.
“The PTI has pushed the country into a quagmire and it would require untiring efforts to get out of the swamp. The federal government has been struggling hard to steer the country out of the economic mess. The country was at the verge of bankruptcy when we got the rule by ousting PTI. The federal government managed to bring it to the white list from grey by successfully dealing with the International Monetary Fund,” he stated.
To another question, he said that the APC recommendations would be presented before the federal government, which would take care of these suggestions at the national security council’s meeting.
About the non-release of funds to the province by the federal government, he said that funds could not be released to the province when its government was repeatedly threatening the dissolution of assemblies. “On the one hand, they say they would dissolve the assembly and on the other hand, they are seeking funds from the Centre. In such a situation, funds cannot be given to them for embezzlement,” he said.
