PESHAWAR, April 1: Unveiling the party’s economic reforms programme ahead of the national elections, Pakistan People’s Party, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, president Anwar Saifullah Khan on Monday said if the people elected his party to power, its government would focus on economic growth through encouragement of private sector to overcome poverty, joblessness and boost trade activities in the province.

During a news conference at a local hotel, Mr Anwar said the economic reforms programme was aimed at boosting local economy, reviving business activities and providing employment to thousands of jobless youths in the province in order to overcome poverty and lawlessness.

Flanked by his spokeswoman Nighat Orakzai, provincial secretary information of the party Liaquat Shabab, the PPP leader said the party’s first priority would be to create favourable environment for business and restore peace in the province.

He said under the holistic economic agenda, a favourable environment would be created for local and foreign investors, to boost economic growth, and maximising their economic potentials. He added that PPP had envisaged a plan to enlarge the domestic economy by attracting investment in private sector in the province.

Similarly, the public sector development programme, he said, will be restructured for maximisation of socioeconomic gains and, to curtail using the initiative for political mileage. “We will employ direct personal aid instead of supply-side subsidies or market manipulation,” he said.

Mr Anwar said efforts would be made to revive war-torn economy of the province at all costs. More than two million jobs for youth would be created in the province, he said.The PPP leader said an economic welfare programme would be launched in the province and a modern silicon valley would be established for facilitation of foreign and local tourists, which could helpful to attract information technology businesses and tourism in the province.

Mr Anwar said a fair price policy would be introduced for farmers to avoid exploitation and intervention, and to give them a market based prices. He added that empowerment of women, skill development and agriculture reforms were other key objectives of the economic reforms programme.

He said a fund would be established for war-affected families to help them return home.

About the emerging internal party differences over award of tickets in the province, he said PPP was not the only party which was faced with such situation, but internal differences also surfaced in other mainstream parties like Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf.

Disclosing the plan for election campaign, he said PPP would organise five historic political rallies in Malakand division, Hazara and southern districts, while two rallies along with corner meetings would be held in Peshawar district.

Regarding the reservations of PPP provincial senior vice president Azam Afridi about the award of tickets, he said the party was giving ticket to him for contesting NA-1, but he was willing for ticket from PK-4. He said the ticket for NA-1 was awarded to Zulfiqar Afghani in compulsion. He, however, said PPP was ready to award a ticket of national assembly to a former senior leader Haji Sharif but he joined JUI-F and thus took a wrong step.