Urging the country’s oft-referred establishment to facilitate the US-led NATO withdrawal from the war-torn Afghanistan, Finance Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Sirajul Haq on Monday said the provincial government would soon elect some 4,500 village councils to empower the people on grassroots level.
Addressing a “meet the press” event at Karachi Press Club, the Jamat-e-Islami leader lambasted the federal government for its unfriendly attitude towards KP, saying the centre had rarely allocated and released funds for development schemes the provincial government had proposed.
The finance minister also expressed concern over a huge increase in the terrorism-hit province’s debts that, he said, had skyrocketed from Rs 60 billion in 2006 to Rs 132 billion in 2013.
Haq also differed with the centre’s view of going for big power generation projects like the $14 billion Basha Dam, the construction of which, he said, would take years in the energy-scarce country.
On electing village councils, the minister said the next few days would see the KP’s coalition government moving closer to the task.
“The draft format has been finalised and would be brought to the cabinet for approval within the next few days,” he said, adding that his government would ensure the proposed “village councils” enjoyed financial autonomy.
Talking of the war on terror, Haq stressed upon “establishment” not to repeat the mistake it once made while Russians were pulling out of Afghanistan. “Create an enabling environment for NATO’S withdrawal,” Haq said, who sees ISAF’s ongoing pullout as a sole remedy for the region’s peace and development.
The KP minister opined that India was able to play drumbeats over Pakistani border only because the latter’s troops were engaged on the 1,400 kilometre-long Durand Line (Pak-Afghan border) for no good reason.
The JI leader suggested that Pakistan, if its wished to have some clout over Kabul post US withdrawal, should mediate between the Taliban and Hizb-e-Islami, the Afghanistan based jihadi group that fought against the USSR in 1979.
About dialogue with the Taliban, Haq said Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif had seconded the JI’s long-proposed view by offering talks to militants. He also saw unanimity of views with regard to the deadly drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas, which he said must be stopped.
Disagreeing with the federal government’s approach towards power generation in the energy-scarce country, the minister said small dams, instead of big ones like Basha Dam, should be the priority.
“Unlike big ones, small projects hardly take nine months to three years for completion,” he opined.
Referring to a survey, he said such small dams could be built over Indus, Swat, Kohistan, Punjgora and other rivers in the KP that had a 25,000 megawatts power generation potential.
Concerned over a mammoth increase in KP’s debts, Haq said WAPDA had transferred no money to the province during the last two years.
Calling upon the federal, provincial governments and all political forces of the country to devise a comprehensive national strategy to effectively deal with the current challenges of terrorism, energy crisis, unemployment, poverty and corruption, the JI leader said it was time to serve the masses through result-oriented measures instead of getting engaged in political point scoring.
“If this government failed to deliver, the masses would lose confidence in ballots,” he warned.
He said an anti-corruption commission was in the making in KP to initially make accountable the most-corrupt ones.
Haq said the “protocol culture” was being abolished in the Pashtun-dominated province where austerity measures like cutting the expenditures of the CM and governor houses would save the provincial government Rs 6 billion a year.
To a query, the minister said the centre had always committed excesses against KP. Illustrating, he said of the Rs 94 billion the federal government earmarked in FY13 for various development schemes in KP, only Rs 4 billion were released.
I do have a very high opinion of your government in KPK Most of your Ministers are honest and hardworking especially your efforts to promote harmony and your main intentions are to provide all the basics to yor Province I am over the moon when you are going to be the leader in bring BDs Good luck Sir
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