PTI ready for next general elections: Khattak

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Sunday the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was ready for the next general election.

He was speaking at a public meeting in Dag Ismailkhel area in the Nowshera district where workers from various political parties announced joining the PTI.

Those who quit own political parties and joined the PTI along with families and friends included Mufti Muhammad Sajjad, Fazal Muhammad Khattak, Muneer Khattak, Malik Akhtar Ali, Malik Gul Faqir Khan and Zulfiqar Khan.

Member National Assembly Dr Imran Khattak, MPA Khaleequr Rehman, Pabbi Tehsil Nazim Mian Murtaza-ur-Rehman and Mufti Muhammad addressed the audience as well.

The chief minister welcomed the new entrants to the PTI and said their decision signified the masses confidence in the party.

Pervez Khattak said there used to a practice in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that people started quitting the ruling party in the last year of the government but that was not the case with the PTI.

“The people of entire province are looking towards the PTI. They have been left impressed by the performance of the PTI-led government and that is why they are joining us in droves,” said the chief minister.

He said the PTI participated in the 2013 general election with a one-point agenda of correcting the system. “We have worked hard during our four and a half years governance in the province. We have rectified the system,” he said.

The chief minister added that the PTI-led government had introduced reforms and carried out legislation. “We tried to facilitate the masses. This why the PTI is attracting the masses,” he went on to say.

Pervez Khattak said the KP government had delivered in various sectors. Citing one example, he said, an organization selected 10 districts of the country for survey to know the improvement in the education sector.

“The organisation found 10 best districts in term of improved education. Nine of them are from KP while only one from Punjab,” he said, adding KP was well head of other provinces in the health sector as well.

The chief minister said the PTI considered its workers as assets. He said the priority would give preference to own workers when it comes to selection of the candidates for the next general election.

“We will look for suitable candidates in case there were none in the party,” he explained, and insisted that the party leadership was in contacts with the relevant people throughout the province.

Pervez Khattak said he had been in politics since long and enjoyed links with, at least, seven known political families. He said the decisions on awarding the PTI tickets to candidates for the next election would be taken at a later stage, adding he wanted to bring forward the party ‘s own candidates to further the party agenda.

The chief minister came down hard on the Awami National Party (ANP) leaders and believed that they were not sincere to the province and the people.

“The history is witness to the fact that the ANP brought disaster to the province whenever it came into power. I am sure masses will not be deceived in future by the politics in the name of nationalism,” he hoped.

Pervez Khattak said all the Pakhtuns supported PTI Chairman Imran Khan who, he believed, had challenged the forces of status quo. “Pakistan needs an honest leader which is around in the shape of Imran Khan,” he argued.

The chief minister said Pakistan future was linked with the PTI. He hoped his party would sweep the next general election on the basis of its government performance in KP and thus form the government not only in KP but also at the Centre.