PTI built 1,000 schools, 300 powerhouses in KP: Imran

BANNU: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa built 1,000 schools and 300 small powerhouses in Chashma during its tenure.

He was addressing a public gathering in Bannu in connection with his election campaign. Imran Khan is contesting for the National Assembly constituency NA-35, Bannu, where he is facing Akram Khan Durrani of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

At the well-attended gathering, Imran Khan said he had decided to contest the election from Bannu in his bid to challenge the forces of status quo. Taking a dig at his opponent and JUI-F candidate, he charged Akram Durrani of becoming a billionaire when he was the chief minister of KP after the 2002 general elections. Imran Khan also came down hard on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and termed him a 'magnet' who he said was always looking to cling to power. "Maulana Fazlur Rehman has been chairman of the National Assembly's Kashmir Committee since long but he has been unable to work for the Kashmir cause and raise voice for the Kashmiris as he lacks the credentials to do so," he remarked.

Imran Khan also took swipe at former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and alleged that both the individuals committed corruption and laundered money. He alleged that Nawaz and Zardari own properties abroad. "The value of their properties increases when dollar goes up while the poor have to bear the brunt of skyrocketing inflation," he said.

The PTI chairman said his party-led KP government introduced reforms in the education and health sectors. He said political interference was abolished in the police department. He claimed the PTI government established 1,000 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and recruited 7,000 teachers. He said many schools were upgraded as well.

Imran Khan also claimed that the PTI government attracted more than 150,000 children studying at private educational institutions to the state-run schools on the strength of its reforms and performance. He said the previous PTI government introduced reforms in the health sector and recruited 9,000 doctors. He asserted that the people preferred government hospitals to private clinics. "We introduced a health insurance policy by issuing the Sehat Insaf Card to provide a family treatment up to Rs0.5 million," he added.

Taking credit for holding the local government elections in the KP, he boasted that people in Punjab and Sindh are also demanding its replication in their respective provinces. Imran also talked about the reforms in the judicial system and said legislation was carried out to benefit the litigants. He said under the law, it is now required to decide a civil suit within a year.

Imran said the Billion Tree Tsunami project was launched to check deforestation and counter the effects of climate change. "Planting more trees will cause more rains that will help overcome the issue of water shortage," he added. "We took measures to save the future of our coming generation," he remarked. He said he would take steps to restore the respect of the Pakistani passport in the world if voted to power.