PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party has accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government of rampant corruption, pushing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the brink of a default.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club here on Wednesday, QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Hayat Sherpao said the financial condition of the province had deteriorated to the extent that the government employees and pensioners were not getting paid on time.

Flanked by other party leaders, he said though the PTI had been ruling Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the third straight term, it had failed to deliver on its pledges. “The PTI rule has turned the province into a mess. Corruption is rampant, law and order has worsened. Government’s writ has shrunk,” he said.

He claimed mostly junior officers in line departments, including communication and works, irrigation, public health, had been posted against higher grades. “Merit has been violated and deserving and competent officers have been made officers on special duty (OSDs),” he added.

Sikandar alleges junior officers given key posts in depts

He said government officials and machinery were used in protests. “Rescue 1122 and police personnel, who were arrested in Islamabad, are still behind bars. The government-owned machinery was also confiscated and is lying in the federal capital,” the QWP leader said.

Quoting a recent report of the World Bank, he said more than 48 per cent of people lived in poverty in KP, adding the ratio was significantly higher than the national average.

He said the poverty ratio stood at 34.2 per cent in KP in 2022.

He said the PTI government had ‘buried’ the province under huge debt, which soared by more than 600 per cent in the last 11 years. He said the year 2024 recorded an increase of more than 30 per cent in the debt of the province.

Sikandar was critical of the PTI government for rampant corruption and said, “Merit and transparency are violated on a daily basis. Even PTI MNAs, MPAs and senators are alleging corruption.”

He said no authority was delegated or funds were provided to the representatives of the local bodies. “This year some funds were released but there was discrimination, which prompted the representatives of the local governments to protest for their rights,” he added.

He said Malakand, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu divisions, Kurram, Khyber and Mohmand districts were facing lawlessness. “Even people living on the outskirts of Peshawar and Mardan don’t feel safe after sunset.

More than 75 per cent of the area and population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not safe. People are left at the mercy of terrorists,” he said.

Quoting the Counter-Terrorism Department’s statistics, he said 54 incidents per month, and two incidents per day occurred in KP in 2024, but the provincial government still had no policy on how to deal with this issue.

Sikandar said the government was least bothered to take solid steps to resolve the Kurram issue.

On education, he said several government universities were facing financial difficulties and teachers were not getting salaries on time, while operational needs were not being fulfilled.

He said the MTI Act was passed in 2015, but there was no improvement in the condition and services of public hospitals.

He said DG Health Services Academy and Allied Services had been handed over to an officer of 19 grade, which was a 20-grade post.

The QWP leader said industries in KP also suffered from years of neglect, mismanagement and lack of investment.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2025