NOWSHERA: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Sunday expressed the hope that the masses would reject in the next general election those politicians who had always cheated them through the politics of hollow slogans and false promises.

“These politicians have no concern, whatsoever, with the welfare of the poor people. They broke all records of corruption when they were voted to power in the past. They are active again to fool people with catchy slogans but it will not work,” he said while speaking at a public meeting arranged at Jabba Daudzai.

Several workers belonging to various political parties, including village council nazim, Asif Zia, Wahid Gul, Umar Khan, Nabi Gul, Tausifullah, Khushdil Khan, Malik Johar Ali, Noor Jamal, Muhammad Rehman, Kamran Khan, Taufiqullah, Mohammad Riaz, Wajid Ali, Bashir Khan and others left their respective parties and announced joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The chief minister welcomed the new entrants to the party and presented them the party caps, saying he appreciated their decision.

Member National Assembly Dr Imran Khattak, District Nazim Liaqat Khattak, Ishaq Khattak, Ashfaq Ahmad, Asif Zia and others spoke on the occasion as well.

Coming down hard on his rivals, Pervez Khattak said these political parties never worked for the betterment of the masses. “They resorted to corrupt practices when mandated to rule the country and shifted money abroad,” he added.

The chief minister said some political parties raised the slogan of Pakhtun nationalism, others stressed roti, kapra aur makaan, while there were those who said they wanted the Pakistan of Quaid-e-Azam. “These are just various ploys,” he said.

He said these political parties were seasonal and appear among the masses during the election time just to bag votes from them. “They are never seen after the elections,” he went on to add.

Flaying the PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for finding faults with the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government performance, the chief minister said he should first remove the sense of deprivation among the people of Sindh and address their issues before launching a tirade against the KP government.

Pervez Khattak said Bilawal was leveling baseless charges of corruption against the PTI government, forgetting the graft committed during the PPP governments.

Scoffing at the PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, the chief minister said he was so helpless that he could not even arrest the killers of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, despite enjoying power for five years and remaining the president of the country. Criticising the ANP, he said the advent of the rule of the nationalist party always brought disaster.