‘Imran ignorant of basic facts’

Rashid said power projects are evidence of the fact that the development of smaller provinces.

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid blasted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan for playing the ‘politics of hatred and provincialism’.

In a statement on Sunday, he said Imran’s allegation that Punjab is getting the major chunk of development projects reflected not only his ignorance of the facts but also a lack of basic knowledge about the scheme of allocations of funds to federating units.

He said over 52% of the budget is allocated to provinces according to the 7th National

Finance Commission formula.

“Earlier, funds were distributed on the basis of population, but now backwardness and lack of development of any federating unit is also taken into consideration,” the minister said. “For the first time, major development projects have been launched in smaller provinces like Khunjerab Pass in Balochistan and Lahore-Karachi Motorway for Sindh.”

He said power projects in Gadani, Balochistan and Jamshoro, Sindh, and Dasu and Bhasha dams in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are evidence of the fact that the development of smaller provinces is the top priority of the present government.

“One wonders why Imran is so ignorant of these basic documented facts. He should reveal on whose signals he is doing all this,” Rashid said. “Did he ever visit the starved people of Thar? Did Imran ever offer funeral prayers for any martyr who sacrificed his life for the sake of the nation?”

“Bashing the political process and democratic institutions amounts to challenging the basis of democracy,” the minister said, adding that the PTI chief should focus on his performance in the province where his party rules. According to him, K-P is the only province which fell down from its ranking in education last year.

“Not a single K-P district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is included among 20 best performing districts of Pakistan according to NGO Alif Ilan’s assessment,” Rashid said. “Imran should hire the services of able men who could keep him abreast of the current and documented facts.”

“Imran hates us for developing Gwadar and setting up power plants in Gadani and Port Qasim. He hates the Karachi-Lahore motorway and dislikes if we reimburse fees of postgraduate students from less developed areas. Imran hates us for starting Diamer-Basha dam and completing the Nandipur project,” the minister said.

“Imran knows that if Prime Minister Nawaz’s economic dreams are realised, he will be defeated again in the 2018 elections.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2014.