SWABI: Provincial health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai claimed on Saturday that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had allocated Rs370 million for provision of gas in the NA-12, Swabi-1 constituency. He stated this while speaking at a public meeting in Tarakai House here.

It is to mention here that MNA Usman Khan Tarakai, uncle of Shahram Tarakai, won this constituency in 2008 and 2013 elections. And, for provision of gas in NA-13, Swabi-II, PTI MNA Aqibullah Khan had won a case in the Peshawar High Court and laying of gas pipeline in the constituency is in full swing.

The allocation for provision of gas has been made at an opportune time to lure the voters before the general elections.

However, leaders of other political parties have termed the announcement of funds for gas project as a political slogan to deceive the people in the upcoming elections.

PML-N leaders said the PTI announcement for gas provision was meant to counter the former because party’s provincial president Amir Muqam had inaugurated gas project for Razaar tehsil in February.

Dildar Khan, district general secretary of PML-N, said SNGPL worked under the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could not ask it to execute the gas project. To a question, he said PML-N did not believe in hallow slogans and that the PTI should fulfill the earlier pledges made with the voters instead of announcing the new ones.

Meanwhile, ANP district general secretary Mohammad Islam has declared that the gas project will not see the light of the day as they (the Tarakai House leaders) always adopted dodging tactics and misled the people.

Senator Sitara Ayaz said the track-record of the ruling party showed that it did not fulfill the promises it made with the people.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2018