CM says law and order a hindrance in K-P elections

Azam Khan claims shortage of cops also an issue

NOWSHERA:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan has said that the fixing the election date is the responsibility of the governor and there is no decision about polls in the province yet. He said that law and order situation in K-P is very bad and there is a severe shortage of police too for polls duty so provincial government has informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Governor Haji Ghulam Ali about it.

The chief minister observed that there is no fixed time for caretaker set up as its duty is to hold free and fair elections in the province and till then the caretaker government will stay. The chief minister was talking to journalists in Nowshera during his visit to the district to condole the death of the Pervaz Khattak’s wife. “Let me tell you the required number of police is not available for polls duty and we need FC and security forces for it. If additional troops are made available then we are ready for holding elections,” he maintained.

“Inflation is not a national phenomenon it is a global crisis and we are trying our level best to overcome it,” he added. Replaying to a question, the chief minister said that the appointment of DG information is an administrative issue and a committee has been formed for negotiations with the information department’s employees. Governor has the authority to fix an election date and he (the governor) after consultations with intelligence agencies, provincial government and ECP and decided that holding elections is not possible under such circumstances.

“Yes it is true that elections should be held in 90 days and the provincial government also came for 90 days but the set up will be there till elections,” he said. “The caretaker government will stay till the new government takes over,” he stressed, adding that the first priority of the government is to hold free and fair elections. “I discussed the issue with Pervaz Khattak that the Covid-19 pandemic created a global financial crisis and the economy of the country is also hit hard,” he shared, adding that the unemployment was also on the rise and the middle class in Pakistan was bearing the brunt. The provincial government has deployed the district administration to control the inflation and they are trying day and night in this regard.

“The information department’s director is demanding that the employees of the department should be promoted and appointed director general. We have discussed the issue with the Peshawar Press Club as journalists are also demanding the same. They have been informed that promotion would be done on the basis of seniority list and qualification and the matter would be sent to selection board and its decision will be implemented,” he disclosed. The CM said that a committee has been formed to fulfill all these formalities and he was hopeful that the issue of the information department would be solved soon.

Talking about the Kurram incident in which eight people were brutally killed, Azam Khan said that one man was killed on a land dispute after which they tried to kill a school teacher at a school where his colleagues tried to save him and were killed too by the attackers. “The situation is currently under control and government has kept an eye on the overall situation,” he added.