PESHAWAR: Opposition leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly, Ibadullah Khan, has claimed that the provincial government has told foreign donors that the province needs cash rather than development assistance.
Ibadullah Khan was addressing the news conference in the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday. He said the role of a cameraman in the media has been vital, and he will try to raise the voice of journalists as much as possible.
He said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had called the meeting in Bara, a jirga where he lied about the law and order situation.
Dr Ibadullah further alleged that former federal minister Murad Saeed had called him, Mohsin Dawar, and Mahmood Khan Achakzai traitors on the floor of the National Assembly, adding that PTI leaders are facilitators of terrorists. He also claimed that the chief minister had announced plans to provide offices to the Taliban.
Criticising the chief minister’s priorities, Dr Ibadullah said the CM was busy with political mobilisation instead of governance. He remarked that the CM sometimes stages protests outside Adiala Jail and at other times outside the Supreme Court, accusing him of political showmanship.
He also claimed that the chief minister had accepted Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s mandate a day earlier, while uncertainty persists over who will protest on February 8, adding that “the matter is still ongoing.”
On the Tirah issue, Dr Ibadullah said that an agreement had been signed between the provincial government and the Deputy Commissioner Khyber, but alleged that Tirah victims are being affected by political manoeuvring. He criticised the chief minister for failing to provide clear information to the affected families during a recent meeting.
Rejecting claims of federal dues, Dr Ibadullah said no arrears were pending against the federal government, adding that Pakhtunkhwa received funds on December 25. He further alleged that the provincial government had told donors that it needed cash.
Dr Ibadullah also levelled corruption allegations, claiming that a millionaire had turned into a billionaire within 200 days under the current setup.
