PTI’s popularity grows, says Pervez Khattak

NOWSHERA: Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak on Wednesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was crowned with success in the last general election because of the good performance during the five-year rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"Now we have government not only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also in Punjab, Balochistan and the Centre. This is not a small achievement. PTI has emerged as a popular party and leaders of other political parties are joining it," he told a public meeting in Akora Khattak town of the Nowshera district.

An important leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), Pervez Ahmad Khan, joined the ruling party along with his scores of supporters.

Pervez Ahmad Khan, a former Member Provincial Assembly who had contested the July 25 general election against Pervez Khattak, announced the decision at a public meeting arranged in Akora Khattak town of the Nowshera district.

MPA Jamsheduddin Kakakhel, candidate for PK-63 by-poll, Liaqat Khan Khattak, a PK-61 aspirant, Ibraheem Khan Khattak, Acting district nazim, Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, Malik Aftab Khan, Raza Saeed Babar, Malik Abrar Khan, Haji Shafiq Ahmad and others were present on the occasion.

Pervez Ahmad Khan along with ANP office-bearers and 1200 workers expressed trust in the Defence Minister Pervez Khattak leadership and officially joined the PTI after quitting the nationalist party. The defence minister welcomed the new entrants to the PTI.

The defence minister said the workers, especially youth, were an asset to the PTI. "The young generation was sick of the traditional politicians. They sided with [Prime Minister] Imran Khan in the general election to make a new Pakistan and put the country on road to development," he added.

Giving a future outline, the defence minister said the committees would be set up at the local level which would contact the elected representatives to have local problems solved.

Pervez Khattak said the people of Nowshera had always put confidence in him and his family by voting them to power. He said every effort would be made to undo the wrongs done to the people of PK-61 He hoped people would vote in droves for the PTI in the coming by-poll. Speaking on the occasion, Pervez Ahmad Khan said he had decided to join the PTI after carrying out extensive consultations with his companions. He said the defence minister did record development work in the district during his chief ministership and served the province as a bold leader and an efficient administrator. He said he and his late father, Wali Muhammad Khan, offered great services for the ANP but the party never acknowledged them.