Khattak's swimming pool plan drowns after public backlash

Tender inviting bids for project construction has drawn ire from public and media in past few days

PESHAWAR: Following the public uproar garnered by a tender advertisement published to construct a swimming pool in his official Peshawar residence, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak decided to scrap the project on Thursday.

The advertisement drew backlash on social media and mainstream media alike in the past couple of days.

On Thursday, claiming that the construction has been used by groups for political gains, the CM House issued a statement announcing the cancellation of the project.

“The Chief Minister after becoming aware of the politicisation of the project by political opponents has decided to cancel the construction of the swimming pool,” the statement read.

The K-P Communication and Works department had published an advertisement in different newspapers inviting tenders for the swimming pool in CM House Peshawar. The cost of the project was set at around Rs18.52 million and the opening date for bids was set for September 26.



The advertisement, however, went viral on social media leading to severe criticism of Khattak by the public and media for spending millions on a swimming pool when the Peshawar district administration has banned such constructions amid a dengue outbreak which prompted the declaration of a health emergency in K-P.