PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations, Shafi Jan, has said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is playing a frontline role in the war against terrorism, while the provincial government is adopting exemplary austerity measures in view of global conditions and the ongoing energy crisis.
Addressing a press conference along with Provincial Finance Advisor Muzammil Aslam, he said the provincial government had taken concrete steps to reduce expenditures and provide relief to the public.
He stated that Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi had approved a Rs13 billion Ramazan relief package for poor families, which was implemented in a transparent manner. “The entire amount has been delivered to the deserving people, benefiting over one million individuals,” he added.
Shafi Jan said the opposition was politicizing public welfare initiatives. He challenged critics to present solid evidence if there were any irregularities in the Ramazan package, adding that the government was ready to respond as transparency and good governance remained its top priorities.
He further said that relief initiatives, including the “Ehsaas Dastarkhwan” programmed, had provided support to the poor, needy, and travelers. Criticizing the Punjab government, he claimed its Ramazan Dastarkhwan programmed, launched for publicity, was discontinued in the last ten days of the holy month.
Talking about the energy crisis, he said it was a global issue but criticized the federal government for increasing petroleum prices by 20 percent, which had added to public hardship.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, following the vision of former prime minister Imran Khan, had announced financial assistance of Rs2,200 for 1.6 million registered motorcycle owners. He added that steps were also being taken to support farmers during the wheat threshing season, and data collection in this regard was underway.
Shafi Jan said that despite the increase in fuel prices, the government had not raised Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fares to avoid burdening the public. He added that more buses, including pink buses for women, were being added to the fleet. In contrast, he alleged that the Punjab government had increased metro fares.
He also criticized what he termed a lack of austerity in Punjab, alleging that an aircraft worth Rs11 billion had been purchased while public money was being used for official travels.
Shafi Jan said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was ahead of other provinces in terms of good governance and was acting as a “shield” for the rest of the country in the fight against terrorism. He added that the provincial government had allocated Rs31 billion to strengthen the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch, which would help improve law and order in the province.
