ANP demands inquiry into award of advertisements to PTI workers

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has demanded an inquiry into the award of video advertisements to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, ANP provincial spokesperson Samar Haroon Bilour and other members of the party’s information team said that PTI awarded its workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The ANP leader alleged that one Najiullah Khattak was the social media in-charge during the PTI previous government in the province. Samar Haroon said that the companies of Najiullah and Tahir Khan had been awarded advertisements worth billions of rupees.

She said that no permission had been sought from any of the steering committee for these advertisements, adding that the entire operation had been conducted through a man she identified as Shahab.

She claimed that Shahab had been attending the meetings without holding any office. She demanded an inquiry into the alleged malpractice. She also criticised the government for failing to secure the net hydel profit from the centre, adding that the hours-long loadshedding were unbearable for the citizens across the country.

The ANP provincial spokesperson said that the KP government could not present the case of the province at the Council of Common Interests.

Samar Haroon Bilour said that a scandal of Rs1.76 billion in the textbook distribution also needed proper inquiry. She said that the government had been misguiding the public by claiming that the coronavirus cases were reducing in numbers.

Speaking on the occasion, ANP provincial deputy general secretary Taimur Baz Khan said that the government was violating the Local Government Act 2013 by postponing the local bodies elections. He said that the act that had been passed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had made it mandatory to hold the elections within 90 days of the completion of the tenure of the local governments.