DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has said that peace has proved elusive and the economic situation has deteriorated in the province since the current government took office.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Institute of Medical Allied and Nursing Sciences (IMANS) here on Saturday, he said corruption was at its peak while government employees were being forced to participate in PTI rallies against the federal government.

He declared the chief minister was not sincere in establishing peace in the province as he did not call a cabinet meeting in that regard. He said there was no peace in the chief minister’s hometown while the courts of Tank and Kulachi were being shifted to Dera city.

“Government resources and machinery are being used for organising protests against the federal government,” the governor said.

Kundi says official resources being used to organise protests against centre

“The chief minister should tell where the annual Rs1,200 billion under the National Finance Commission Award was spent,” he said, asking when the PTI government was in power in the centre, why provincial rights were not demanded.

He said PTI pinning hopes on US president-elect Donald Trump to help secure release of Imran Khan was a negation of the party’s slogan of “We are not slaves to anyone”. “However, the founder of PTI Imran Khan should know that he will not be released even after Trump won the election.”

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He said in the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the federal government included the demands of JUI-F and PTI, but the PPP was ignored.

He said five more town border stations were being installed in Dera to solve the problem of natural gas.

He also mentioned that work on a four-lane road project from Dera to Dera Ghazi Khan and onward to Kashmor was underway. “The portion of this project lying in Sindh province has already been completed.”

Similarly, the governor said he was also making efforts to establish a campus of Air University in DI Khan.

Kundi emphasised that his focus was on changing the fate of the people of the province, as the incumbent provincial government had ‘badly failed’ to deliver on promises.

He also criticised Punjab for halting the supply of wheat, flour, and poultry to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, Mr Kundi paid visits to various families and expressed profound grief over the sad demise of their dear ones.

The governor also visited the house of former caretaker provincial minister Abdul Haleem Qasuria to offer condolences on the demise of his brother, Prof Fazal Raheem Qasuria.

He offered prayers for the departed soul and prayed for patience to the bereaved family.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2024