Centre to pay KP Rs34b net hydel arrears by December: Khattak

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday said that the federal government would pay Rs34 billion on account of net hydel profit (NHP) arrears to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by December 10.
Speaking at separate public meetings in Akbarpura, Dag Besud, Kandar and Tarkha areas here, he said that he represented the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa case in the recently held meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) in Islamabad and succeeded in securing the province’s rights in the national resources.
He said that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had assured him to pay Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs34 billion. He said a new agreement would be signed with the federal government over the hydropower royalty under the Aftab Ghulam Nabi (AGN) Kazi formula.
“With the new agreement under this formula, the annual net hydel profit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would reach Rs150 billion,” he added. 
He said the federal government also assured him to help the province develop infrastructure for any new reservoir of natural gas explored in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in future.
“The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited would pay the cost for laying the pipelines and other infrastructure for gas in the province,” he added.
He said the National Highway Authority (NHA) would launch development work on various roads including Grand Trunk Road, Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan road, Nowshera-Mardan road, Hazara Motorway and others in the province shortly. 
About the electoral alliance for the general election with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S), Pervez Khattak said that Maulana Samiul Haq supported the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and issued a decree in favour of anti-polio vaccines to tackle the propaganda against the programme.
He said that the Maulana had promised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to start imparting contemporary education in Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak. The provincial government was constructing a college and a hostel at the madrassa for students, he added.
“We want the madrassa students to receive modern education along with the religious education so they can serve the country in various fields after completing their studies at madrassas,” he added.
He criticised the previous governments and accused them of promoting the culture of corruption, sifarish, nepotism and politicising the state entities.
He said the PTI-led provincial government streamlined the decades old faulty system, upheld merit in fresh recruitments in government departments and made them apolitical.
He also enumerated other “achievements” of the KP government. He said that popularity of the PTI was increasing day by day as people were joining the party.
About the Faizabad sit-in, he said that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi should order an investigation into the amendment in the finality of prophethood law and punish those found involved in changing the law.
PTI leaders including Member Provincial Assembly Mian Khaliqur Rehman, District Nazim Liaqat Khattak, Malik Ali Khan, Dr Hidayat, Haider Ali Bacha, Malik Suhail, Israr Nabi, Hussain Khattak and others were present on the occasion. Several activists from other political parties joined the PTI on the occasion.