Khattak likens any NRO to betrayal

NOWSHERA: Defence Minister Pervez Khattak said on Sunday that looters of national wealth would not be offered the benefits of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

“Those who looted the national wealth and are awaiting an NRO must know that they are not going to get it from Prime Minister Imran Khan. He is an elected prime minister and will neither enter into any deal with such elements not would offer them any relaxation,” Pervez Khattak added.

The defence minister was talking to the media at the Jehangira town of the Nowshera district. Member Provincial Assembly Idrees Khattak and Atif Khattak were present with him. Pervez Khattak likened the NRO to betrayal and said the prime minister cannot even think of such a practice.

The defence minister accused former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, erstwhile president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N president Shahbaz Sharif of looting the exchequer and shifting the money abroad.

Pervez Khattak hoped Pakistan would again enjoy respect in the comity of nations as other countries were eyeing investment in Pakistan. “Nobody can stop the poor people of Pakistan from the march to progress,” he went on to add.

The defence minister blamed the current financial woes on the past governments. “The people voted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to power to bring the country out of crises and they we will not disappoint them,” he assured.

Pervez Khattak said the last PTI government carried out record development schemes from 2013 to 2018. “We introduced reforms which were unprecedented in the province history. This is why the PTI won again a mandate in the July 25 general elections,” he pointed out.

The defence minister said drastic changes were made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the health, education sectors and the police department. “Merit was followed in recruitment and that worked great,” he said while enumerating the governance in the KP.