Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister-designate Pervez Khattak on Thursday said the first session of the newly-elected members of the provincial assembly would be convened on May 29 for which all arrangements had been completed.
Addressing a press conference, after three MPs elect announced support for the PTI, Mushtaq Ghani, Qalandar Lodhi from Abbottabad and Saimullah Khan Alizai from DI Khan, Khattak said May 29 would be a historic day in the province’s parliamentary history wherein all the newly-elected members of the KP Assembly would take oath. Later, elections for the speaker and the deputy speaker would be held followed by elections for the coveted office of the CM.
The PTI has nominated its KP president, Asad Qaiser for the office of the speaker and Khattak for the office of the CM.
Khattak said all coalition partners and elected representatives would be given respect and be taken on board on all issues.
He said the election manifesto of the PTI as well as the promises made by the PTI chairman during the election campaign would be implemented in letter and spirit. He said establishment of peace in KP would be on the top of the agenda of his government.
Khattak said the policy pertaining to holding peace talks was the prime responsibility of the federal government and “we will make a decision with mutual consensus and after consultation with senior party leadership, once the federal government forms a policy regarding peace talks”.
“Zero tolerance against kidnapping, and street crimes would be adopted, he said.
Khattak categorically made it clear that no compromise would be made on peace and law and order in the province as such conditions were a prerequisite for progress and prosperity of the province.
He said the PTI government in KP would be a role model for other provinces. “Cruelty in any form, injustice, corruption and favoritism will not be tolerated,” Khattak said, adding that reforms would be introduced for the betterment of education, health services, local government system and eth police system.
“PTI’s goals are not to just be in power but to serve the masses irrespective of their political affiliation with best of our abilities and we will use all energies so that people can see tangible and positive changes in their lives for which they had voted for the party,” Khattak added.
He said civil servants and government officials with clean service records and those who would resolve to work tirelessly for the resolution of the peoples’ problems would not be shuffled or transferred.
“The upcoming budget in KP will be pro-poor and people-friendly and relief will be provided to the masses,” he said.
Asked about the long hours of electricity load shedding, Khattak said the federal government would be contacted for the purpose and a national strategy would be adopted to end load shedding from the country and especially in KP.