PTI’s popularity with masses growing: Khattak

NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Friday people were joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in droves that showed the growing popularity of the party with the masses.

“A wind of change has blown across the country. People from other political parties are joining the PTI. It proves their confidence in the leadership of Imran Khan,” he said while addressing a function of the youth body of the party in Muslim Town locality of the Khat Killay Union Council of the Nowshera district and a public meeting at Islamabad Koroona of Misri Bandah.

The chief minister inaugurated a newly constructed road in Muslimabad and approved installation of streetlight for the area.

A total of 52 political workers from other political parties joined the PTI on the occasion. They expressed trust in the national and provincial leadership of the party. The chief minister welcomed them to the party by presenting them the party caps.

Minister for Excise and Taxation, Mian Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, Member National Assembly Dr Imran Khattak, District Nazim Liaqat Khattak and other party leaders were present on the occasion and addressed the gatherings.

The chief minister said that the status quo politicians and the past rulers promoted the culture of corruption and damaged the very foundations of the country.

He said the corrupt rulers plundered national wealth and the people were bearing the brunt of massive corruption of the previous governments.

Pervez Khattak said people were fed up with the corrupt rulers. He said they got the alternative in the form of PTI and voted the party to power in the last general election.

He said the country was faced with grave challenges and needed honest and dedicated leadership to pull the country of the prevailing morass and put it on the path to development and prosperity. The chief minister said that PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had introduced reforms in the state institutions and put an end to political interference in the government departments.

“We inherited a system in the province where state institutions were politicised and public servants would not respect the common men. We made the government officers true public servants and revamped the decade-old faulty system,” he added.

The chief minister said that the PTI government introduced the teaching of English at the state-run schools at the primary level and thus took a step for ending the class-based education. He said teachers were recruited in the Education Department on merit. He said drastic reforms were introduced in the health sector, adding modern equipment was provided to the tertiary care and other hospitals. “When we assumed power, the number of the doctors in the government health facilities was 3,500. Now this tally is 8,500,” he pointed out.