KP CM asks people to reject corrupt, tested politicians

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday urged the people to reject the corrupt and tested politicians in the upcoming general elections and elect honest and dedicated leadership.

Speaking at a public meeting in Risalpur, he said that those plundered the national wealth were again trying to hoodwink the people through hollow slogans.

He asked the people to not be fooled by such political jokers and elect clean and honest people in the next elections who wanted to serve the country and the people.

The chief minister said that voting a wrong person was akin to destroying the future of the country and coming generations. “Everyone should think above their personal interest and political affiliation and vote for deserving candidates for a better tomorrow,” he added.

The chief minister said the people had lost confidence in the political forces and lost the hope of any improvement in the system, adding in that time of disparity the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan raised the slogan of change and gave the people a new hope.

He said Imran Khan’s slogan of change attracted the people, particularly youth and they joined his ‘caravan’ of change in droves. Imran promoted awareness among the people, particularly poor about their rights and spearheaded a campaign against corruption, he added.

Pervez Khattak said the successive governments and rulers used to play politics with the people and always subjected them to exploitation.

He said that such politicians and political parties ignored the problems of common men for decades and promoted vested interests and did nothing for the people. “For how long the people would get betrayed at the hands of these tested politicians. Attaching any more hope to these ‘robbers and thieves’ is madness. They never bothered to solve the problems of common man and enjoyed the luxury of power after voting into power,” he added.

He said the incompetent rulers destroyed the country’s economy by taking huge loans and damaged the country reputation in the international community by their corrupt practices. He said the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had accepted that he did not know about the lengthy litigation in courts and high fees by lawyers. “It is strange that a person who served three times as the prime minister is saying he was unaware of the hardship the common people are being faced with in courts,” he asserted.

He said it showed that the rulers were ignorant to the problems being faced by the people which was a matter of grave concern.

He also criticised the former president and president of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari and other rival political parties. Pervez Khattak said that he inherited a devastated province where corruption was rampant and state institutions were politicised.

He said the PTI-led provincial government introduced reforms in the government departments and revamped the decades-old faulty system. “We have changed the shape of the entire province and laid foundation of a strong services delivery system to provide relief to people and made the government officers true public servants,” he added.