PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan here on Tuesday expressed doubts about the ability of the incumbent government to complete its tenure.

“I don’t know whether our government (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government) will continue till 2018 or not because Mian Sahib (Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif) can commit political suicide anytime,” he told a ceremony, held in connection with launching of sanitation campaign.

The PTI chief said that the provincial government would be able to plant 1.2 billion trees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if it continued functioning till 2018. He said that historic Qilla Balahisar would be made an entertainment centre for people by setting up food streets and restaurants there. The headquarters of Frontier Corps would be shifted to other proper place, he added.

Says Nawaz Sharif can commit political suicide anytime

“I will discuss shifting of FC headquarters from Qilla Balahisar with Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif,” he said.

It is worth mentioning that FC has established its headquarters in Qilla Balahisar since long.

The provincial government has allotted land to FC for establishing its infrastructure in Hayatabad but the para-militray force is yet to vacate the fort.

Mr Khan said that Peshawar would be made a city of tourism. Peshawar Central Prison would also be shifted from the city to some other safe area, he added. “Peshawar will be made a model city of the province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be made a model province of the country,” said the PTI chief.

He said that a master plan was devised to restore the past glory of Peshawar and make it a model for other cities of the country. The drinking water of Peshawar city was so famous for its purity and healthiness that people from other cities used to take it with them, he said.

Mr Khan said that the sanitation campaign being launched in Peshawar would be extended to other districts and tehsils of the province. He said that playgrounds would be set up at tehsil level.

The PTI chief asked Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who was sitting on the stage, to establish public parks on the lands owned by Auquaf department.

He said that around 200,000 children died every year in the country of the diseases caused by pollution and dirt. “It is unfortunate that Pakistan is among the top 10 countries to be affected mostly by the global warming,” he added.

Mr Khan said that 60 per cent people in the country were below 25 years of age. A country with so many youths couldn’t be stopped from development, he added.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the PTI chief Khan along with provincial ministers and volunteers held a walk from Firdos Chowk to Balahisar Chowk.

The sanitation campaign would continue in Peshawar from 15 to 20 days with the help of “DC Volunteer Task Force”, said Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud while talking to Dawn.

He said that nazims of district, tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils would be engaged in public awareness drive regarding sanitation. He said that the task force was consisted of 1,760 volunteers, who were mostly highly qualified youth, to help the government in registration of out of school children, anti-polio vaccination and sanitation awareness.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2015