Pashtun rights: Imran Khan endorses PTM’s demands

Says he will persuade army chief to decrease check posts in FATA

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has stated that many demands of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement’s (PTM) Manzoor Pashteen are genuine.

“I will meet army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discuss with him easing security check posts and removing landmines, besides the core issue of missing persons of the Federally Administered Tribal Area,” said Khan while addressing media at the PTI Fata Convention held at the residence of PTI Senator Ayub Afridi in Peshawar on Wednesday.

The PTI chief said after the 9/11 incident, tribal people suffered the most and faced daunting challenges. He vowed that the development of Fata would be his priority if his party managed to form government in all four provinces.

He said the PTI was in favour of an immediate merger of Fata with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) which was the only solution to all problems of the tribal people. He said the PTI was the only party standing for the rights of Fata and its people, and the only party demanding a swift merger of Fata with K-P.

Mega projects will be started in FATA :: @ImranKhanPTI #PTIFATAConvention pic.twitter.com/Dl0hcUTGVo

— PTI (@PTIofficial) April 11, 2018

“We will immediately merge Fata and K-P after coming into power,” Khan promised and said that parties opposing the merger were scared because they had started realising that the PTI would clean-sweep Fata in the upcoming elections.

Khan stated that an additional Rs100 billion would be spent every year on the development of Fata and mega projects would be started in this regard.

He said on coming to power, the PTI would hold local bodies elections in the first three to five months and devolve power to local people. He said the people of Fata would have an equal say over the decisions taken regarding their land and that the Fata seats would be allocated in the provincial assembly according to their due right.

We have formed a Committee for FATA, recommendations are forwarded by the Committee for Reforms in FATA :: @ImranKhanPTI #PTIFATAConvention pic.twitter.com/ya3SpLrMvh

— PTI (@PTIofficial) April 11, 2018

Despite their patriotism and immense sacrifices for the stability of Pakistan, the government did not take the ownership of Fata the way it should have done, he added.

The PTI chief said that his party had formed a committee for proposing reforms in Fata. He said only Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman created hurdles in the way of Fata reforms.

Khan said ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif would now be watching him even in his dreams. “Sharif is now moving towards Adiala jail,” he added.

He accused the federal government of protecting Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif who was facing a disqualification case in the court. He said the government did not take action against Asif because other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders were also involved in the same crime, of holding a foreign work permit.



He alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had used the province’s budget only on Lahore.

He said there was no subsidy on the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport project and that the Punjab government had taken a huge loan for the construction of metros so much so that two Shaukat Khanum hospitals could be constructed in the amount lost in the two metros in Lahore.

The PTI chief accused the Punjab CM of spending huge sums on his own advertisement. “Nothing has been done for the development of the people,” he said.

About the interim government, Khan said he would recommend names after consultation at the party level.

On the occasion, K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Speaker Asad Qaiser, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Muhammad Atif Khan and other party leaders were present on the occasion.