Sealing off cities no solution, says Hoti

BISHAM: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti on Tuesday said that had sealing cities been solution to any problem they would have sealed Peshawar long ago.

“Closing cities is not a solution to any problems. If it does we would have sealed off Peshawar long ago,” said the nationalist leader.He was speaking at a workers convention in Bisham tehsil of Shangla district.

Haider Hoti said 30 October falls on Sunday. “The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership announced to close Islamabad on Sunday. It’s silly announcement. The city would be closed due to weekly holiday,” he added.

He said that Imran Khan was fighting for Prime Minister’s slot. He said that there was a power struggle between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Banigala in Islamabad. He said in reference to the PTI’s Chairman Imran Khan private residence in Islamabad.

“The power struggle ended up in the change of three chief secretaries which is the worst example of mismanagement and power struggle within the PTI,” the nationalist leader said.Criticising the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for taking loans for development projects, Haider Hoti said that the government was obtaining loans for construction of Swat Motorway.

“The government treasury was full when we were leaving the government. Where that all money gone that the government is now forced to take loans. It is strange the PTI government even did not launch any mega uplift project in its three and a half years tenure,” he wondered. He said that Pervez Khattak did not like criticism of his government. He said that tribal areas would be merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

About the Indian rhetoric against Pakistan, Haider Hoti said that creating warlike situation was meant to divert the world’s attention from Indian aggression and atrocities against the people of Indian-held Kashmir.

He said that the ANP supported dialogue to resolve the differences between the two nuclear armed neighbours. “The followers of Bacha Khan would fight side-by-side with its armed forces if war is imposed on the motherland,” he added.