K-P CM Mahmood Khan. PHOTO: PTI

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has regretted that certain so called Pashtun political leaders are doing politics in the name of Pashtuns.



“People pitching Pashtun against each other and dividing them for political gains could not be sincere to the Pashtun people and Pakistan,” he said addressing a huge public gathering at Younas Park, Miranshah, during his daylong visit to North Waziristan.



“The so called political leadership wanted bickering among Pashtun people for their political gains,” he said.



The people of the province voted them in the past but they left behind a legacy of unprecedented loot and plunder and therefore the people turned a deaf ear to their catchy slogans, showing them that they cannot be deluded and therefore Pashtuns rejected them forever.



CM Mahmood said that he himself had seen the devastation brought by militancy and the subsequent operation in Malakand division because he belong to Swat district and assured that the resources for the rehabilitation and reconstruction would be strictly spent in the newly merged districts.



The people affected by the militancy and operation would be brought back to their homes from across the border.



The PTI government would focus on education, health and infrastructure and assured that the government would not leave the people of the erstwhile Fata on the mercy of others but would ensure protection and security to the people who suffered.



The CM also announced multi-billion rupees development package for the infrastructure development, rehabilitation and reconstruction, education, health and other sectors and assured that the package would remove the apprehensions and reservations of the people of the newly merged districts. Mahmood said that he would work on the political, economic and development integration of the people of erstwhile Fata.



The chief minister said that his government was the government of Pashtuns and knew better what the real issues of the Pashtuns were. He said that certain so-called Pashtun leaders wanted to deceive them on political sloganeering. He reminded the misrule of the so-called Pashtun political leadership in the past who did nothing and delivered nothing but what they did wholeheartedly has become the most corrupt chapter of the Pashtun history.



Referring to the past governments, Mahmood said they installed SMS in the Chief Minister Secretariat who was known for all the misdeeds, corrupt practices and shadow dealings right under the nose of these so-called political leadership of Pashtun. Their misrule brought to an end their politics of deceits and the Pashtun got them out of the politics through ballot, he added.



The chief minister said that he knew the real issues and the problems of the people of erstwhile tribal areas because he himself belonged to the PATA which had similar history when the militancy struck the Malakand division and the people bore the brunt of devastation.



Unfortunately the resources meant for the rehabilitation and reconstructions of militancy struck Malakand division were pocketed by the so-called political leadership who were at that time holding the reign of power. The people still did not know where the resources went and who grabbed them. Now again the so-called Pashtun political leadership was out there to deceive the Pashstoon but the Pashtun knew them because of their character, misdeeds and misrule in the province. They have interest in dividing the Pashtun on different lines. They wanted the war like situation among the Pashtun but they would never succeed because PTI introduced a pro people governance style totally exterminating the politics of loot and plunder.



CM Mahmood said that the resources and the packages pledged with the people by Prime Minister Imran Khan would be strictly spent in the erstwhile tribal belt. He would personally monitor each and every penny coming to the new districts and going to the developmental side for the benefit of the people and their areas. Mahmood assured to bring back the affectees from the across border. He would personally remove the reservations of the people related to the infrastructure development in the tribal areas, education and health sectors, the rehabilitation and reconstruction and the bringing up of internally displaced people. He assured that his government would eliminate corruption and irregularities and would take stern action against the corrupt practices.



Mahmood said that the politics of certain people using the name of Pashtun for their own interest was over. The government in the province belonged to Pashtun and Pashtun have appropriate representation in the federal government adding that the Pashtun buried the politics of deceit adding that the entire belt of the erstwhile Fata would be brought to the national stream of development.



The CM said that he had been directed by the Prime Minister Imran to work for the welfare and development of the people of Fata districts. This is a mission he would accomplish under all circumstances.



Mahmood registered his unhappiness over the locking down of roads. The so-called leadership of Pashtun should not do politics like this nor should they work on developing differences among the Pashtun adding that the Pashtun had successfully came out of the war. They suffered and offered tremendous sacrifices in the process. Now the Pashtun people wanted peace, harmony and development and his government would ensure to deliver in consonance with the people’s aspirations of these areas. His government was accountable to the people and assured to resolve the problems of the people, he added.



Mahmood also unveiled the much needed developmental package that included the inaugurations of 3G, 4G cellular services, provision of Sehat Insaf Card for the whole of the people of tribal districts by which each family would get free healthcare up to Rs720,000 annually and assured that in the next visit he will inaugurate a cadet college, medical college and university along with some other developmental activities.



He also announced 54km road from Spin to Shawa and assured certain developmental plan for the boost of tourism. He also announced Rs500,000 for the uniforms of primary schoolchildren Baka Khel IDP Camp.



Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2019.