CHITRAL: PTI chairman Imran Khan on Thursday said Afghan refugees were his ‘brethren-in-faith’, who couldn’t be booted out of the country in the hour of distress and that his party would support their stay in the country.

The PTI chief told reporters here that it was not the proper time to oust Afghan refugees from the country.

He however said the refugees involved in crimes and terrorist activities would be dealt with iron hand.

Imran Khan expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of his party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the rehabilitation of Chitral’s physical infrastructures washed away by the last year’s floods and said after visiting a number of calamity-hit areas in the district, he observed no noticeable work had been done there for the restoration of the damaged or destroyed facilities.

Says refugees are his ‘brethren-in-faith’, who can’t be booted out in the hour of distress

“I will direct the chief minister to come up with a special rehabilitation package for the flood-devastated Chitral, while a donors’ conference will be convened shortly in Islamabad to collect donations from national and international agencies as the volume of damage was of colossal,” he said.

The PTI chief said infrastructure would be put in place by the end of the year as the extensive attention would be paid to the rehabilitation process.

“The people of Chitral have been suffering very badly since last year, while tourism, too, can’t flourish here until the communication facilities are restored,” he said.

Responding to a question about the extended stay of the prime minister in London, Imran Khan said Nawaz Sharif was afraid of accountability in the country and therefore, he wasn’t willing to return home.

He, however, said one day, the prime minister would have to come back and face the opposition, which was on the same page on accountability.

The PTI chief said the united opposition would begin a decisive movement to oust the Nawaz government soon after Eidul Fitr.

“The days of Nawaz Sharif have been numbered,” he said.

Earlier, Imran Khan gave away royalty cheques of the Kashmir markhor trophy hunting to the leaders of different village conservation committees on behalf of the wildlife department.

He said Chitral was blessed with animals, which should be conserved with the active participation of local communities for the sustainable management of wildlife in the province.

The PTI chief asked local community activists to judiciously utilise the funds for the collective development of the region.

Imran Khan had arrived in Chitral on a two-day visit on Wednesday.

After arrival, he took an aerial view of Baroghil area and visited Pawer village of Yarkhoon to examine work on a 800kw hydropower station project launched by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and tree plantation along the Yarkhoon River.

Also in the day, he attended a briefing at the deputy commissioner’s office about the devastations caused by the last year’s flash floods.

The PTI chief said a donors’ conference would be held in Islamabad soon to generate funds for the rehabilitation of the flood-hit basic infrastructure in Chitral.

He criticised the federal government for curtailing budgetary allocations for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Rs140 billion to Rs113 billion and said the move had incapacitated the province to carry out development projects.

Imran Khan said despite facing financial crunch, the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had done its level best to bring peace and prosperity to the province, which was tangible in every sphere of life.

“Corruption has been eliminated from government departments, while transparency in all government matters is being given top priority,” he said.

Earlier, Chitral deputy commissioner Osama Ahmad Warraich told the PTI chief that the last year’s flash floods had devastated roads, bridges, irrigation channels, drinking water schemes and hydropower houses, whose rehabilitation needed Rs16 billion.

District nazim Maghfirat Shah proposed the launch of an integrated development project to rehabilitate infrastructure and ensure sustainable development in Chitral.

He presented his government’s development plan for the district to the PTI chief for consideration.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2016