Why Imran can’t see corruption in KP: Asfandyar

CHARSADDA: The Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has said why the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan could not see corruption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing a workers' convention in Hassankhel area in Prang tehsil on Tuesday, Asfandyar termed Imran Khan a non-serious person and a politician. He said Imran accused the opponents of corruption and called them thieves and dacoits but did not have the courage to name his party's lawmakers who indulged in horse-trading in the Senate election.

"He should expose the PTI's lawmakers who sold their votes in the election to the Upper House of the Parliament if he is really against corruption and true to his words," he challenged Imran.

Asfandyar thanked the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari for what he argued exposing the double standards of Imran Khan in the Senate election. He said the PTI-led KP government is being run on loans taken from lenders. "The provincial government has taken billions of rupees loans from the international lenders. The government kitty has been emptied," he said.

The ANP chief also lashed out at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for what he termed, its silence over corruption in KP.

"The NAB is only active in Punjab but could not notice the malpractices in KP," he added. He said the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) Maulana Samiul Haq suffered a heart attack after he was deceived by the PTI in the Senate election. "The PTI also tricked Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Sherpao thrice in the last over four years," he added. Asfandyar said there is a resentment among the tribals as successive governments did nothing to solve the problems of people of the tribal areas. He said no serious steps were taken to compensate the tribals for the losses they suffered due to militancy and military operations against them. He said Fata should be merged with KP before the general elections.

He said injustices are being meted out to KP in the multi-billion dollars China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the project has been turned into China-Punjab Economic Corridor. Warning against removing the 18th Amendment from the Constitution, Asfandyar said it would have dire consequences. He said no one can defeat the ANP if ghosts and angels did not interfere in the next general elections.