Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday accused the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) of neglecting governance and prioritising efforts to secure the release of the party’s incarcerated founder over public welfare, development and security.
“The hours that should have been spent on governance have instead been spent plotting to secure the release of a prisoner,” Tarar said at a press conference in Islamabad, attended by Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Information for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan and K-P MPA Jalal Khan.
Targeting K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Tarar alleged that the provincial leadership had devoted insufficient time to governance despite more than 13 years of PTI rule in the province.
“If you do the calculations, you will find that Sohail Afridi has devoted virtually zero hours to governance,” Tarar said, alleging that the chief minister’s administration had prioritised political agitation over addressing public grievances.
Tarar said the provincial government should have focused on establishing modern IT centres, building universities and schools, upgrading hospitals and improving public infrastructure across the province, including in Lakki Marwat, Mardan, Nowshera and Swabi.
Comparing the provincial administration’s performance with that of the federal government, Tarar cited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s inauguration of an IT park and the federal fuel subsidy scheme as examples of governance and public relief.
According to Tarar, the IT park would support start-ups, improve digital skills and contribute to economic growth. He also claimed that 10 million people had benefited from the fuel subsidy scheme through an IT-based registration system.
