PTI govt cancelled mega projects in Hazara: Yousaf

MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Mohammad Yousaf has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government scrapped several mega development projects launched by his party’s government in the Hazara division.

“The PML-N government had approved the airport in the Tanawal area of the district during its last tenure but the PTI government not only scrapped this project but withdrew Rs550 million funds released for the acquisition of land for this project,” he said while speaking to journalists here on Thursday.

He said the previous government had even imposed section-IV for the acquisition of land and released an amount of Rs550 million to the district administration to pay its price to the landowners but even then the government scrapped this and some other projects in Hazara.

Yousaf, while talking about the local government elections, said that it was merely a futile exercise if these elections were held on party basis.

“The provincial government has amended the local bodies act 2013 and empowered the assistant commissioners, instead of tehsil mayors, which completely shattered the essence of this grassroots’ governance system,” he said.

“If an Assistant Commissioner would enjoy the extreme powers even in the LG setup, then why the need arises to hold these elections on the party basis,” he said.

He added that the LG system introduced even by the army ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf was given wide powers but the current system amended by the PTI government in 2019 was powerless.

Yousaf, who also remained the district nazim in Mansehra in 2005, said the government should restore the district councils.