K-P electioneering: 2015 is the election year, claims Imran

PTI chief says his party will build ‘Naya Pakistan’ this year.

NOWSHERA/ PESHAWAR/ MARDAN:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan predicted on Wednesday that 2015 would be the election year in the country, saying his party has already made a ‘Naya Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)’ and it would also build a ‘Naya Pakistan’ this year.

“We have made a new K-P and will also make a new Pakistan this year,” he told a public gathering in Peshawar.

The PTI chief visited three districts of central K-P in a last-ditch effort to woo voters for the May 30 local government (LG) polls in the province. Wednesday’s whirlwind campaigning represented his party’s bid to regain control of the province at the grassroots level.

Taking jibes at his political foes – Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – Imran said the united opposition would not frighten his party.

“The PML-N and PPP have joined hands against us but the PTI is not scared of them and will contest even if all political parties unite against us,” he told the gathering in Peshawar’s Tehmash Khan Football Stadium.

While attempting to soothe frayed nerves of estranged party workers, who are up in arms for being denied party tickets, Imran conceded that mistakes might have been made in the allotment of over 45,000 tickets across the province but in the same breath he asked them to withdraw their candidature in favour of PTI hopefuls. Praising his own government in K-P, the PTI chief said it has made significant improvement in police department, in the education sector and fight against corruption.

In his Mardan Railway Station ground speech, Imran said new local government system introduced in K-P would be a truly liberating experience for the masses.

He said the new system would allow people to make their own decisions and they would not have to run after lawmakers for solution of their problems.

The PTI chief said the Ehtesab Commission set up by his government in the province would not spare corruption whether it was done by his party ministers or those in the opposition.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2015.