I will end traditional politics, says PPP candidate
BOONI (CHITRAL), April 23: I will probe into the embezzlement of 240 million rupees in the Atahk water channel project, set up schools and colleges and lay a network of roads in upper Chitral, said PPP leader Sardar Hussain.
In an interview to ChitralToday (chitraltoday.net) in Booni, Sardar Hussain, the PPP candidate for PK-90, said before the PPP came to power in 2008 only Rs3 billion were spent on the Lowari tunnel. Our government raised the spending on the mega project to 18 billion and continued work at the site with full vigor, he claimed.
He said since independence only 75 kilometres of roads had been constructed in Chitral but his priority would be to build roads to each small valley of the area.
ChitralToday: The people of Chitral have a complaint against the local representatives of PPP that they failed to arrange the visit of President or prime minister to Chitral during their-five year tenure?
Sardar: You know, a few years ago when American president came on a state visit to Pakistan he was unable to come out of the Chaklala airport due security reasons. Pakistan is fighting a war against extremism. Extremists are challenging the writ of the government. Our province is the most affected one in the country. So under these circumstances, we did not want to put our central leadership on trial by inviting them to Chitral. However, PPP always has a well thought policy about development and whether our leaders visit the district or not, work on developmental projects continued.
Three billion rupees were spent on Lowari project during the tenure of previous government while our government increased it to 18 billion. Million of rupees have been spent on Chitral bypass. In order to solve the problem of clean drinking water in Chitral town, a water supply scheme was initiated and 400 million rupees have been spent on this project. Similarly, work on water supply projects is going on at Drosh and Ayun. Millions of rupees have been spent on Xhindroli hydropower project. Work on Yarkhun- Broghil road has been completed. Thousands of poor families have been provided financial assistance under BISP.
ChitralToday: The people of subdivision Mastuj have lots of expectations from you. What is your plan to come up to their expectations?
Sardar: First of all I’ll try to do away with the tradition of party-affiliated politics in Chitral. Moreover, Chitral is a huge district spreading over an area of 14,850 sq km. Controlling such a huge area administratively is simply impossible. After getting elected, my first priority will be to bifurcate Chitral into two districts. Only 75 km roads have been constructed in Chitral since independence. Spreading a network of roads in Chitral is my desire. An embezzlement of 24 crore and 84 lakh rupees have been reported ion the area. I’ll probe into it. I’ll start work on Lotoveer-Terich, Boon-Yarkhunlasht, Torkow-Khot and Booni-Phandar roads. On my request former President Pervez Musharaf had started work on Athahk irrigation channel but the funds were misused. I’ll establish girls’ colleges at Torkow, Mulkow, Mastuj and Laspur. An international standard university will be established at Qaqlasht.
@Amir Zamir: Well, quite interesting and I was glad to see a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) jiyala defending his budding leader Syed Sardar Hussain Shah. Let me explain the reasons why people oppose Sardar Hussain. It is because he happens to be a close aide of the newly-emerged wealthiest former minister for population welfare Salim Khan. So a man is known by the company he keeps, right? A large number of old PPP jityalas parted ways with Salim Khan for alleged corruption but the gentleman you are all praise for remained as a silent spectator for complete five years. If you think he is honest, poorest, brave and a true leader, he should stand up against his friend, the former minister. He could have at least advised him to avoid corruption but he instead encouraged him for reasons best known to him to go ahead with the same zeal and spirit. As far his friendship with Pir Karam Ali Shah is concerned, it is just because he belongs to the same tribe and you must not be impressed of such things. And the way you presented him as the most vulnerable person on the planet earth is absolutely wrong. I would also like to clarify that we never supported the ‘master thieves’ who sold out your grain to Afghanis. They must be made an example and people who still support them, will repent throughout their lives. But it is necessary to clarify that Shah jee is equally guilty like his friend Salim Khan. If you are not sure just visit Seenlasht and I am sure you will be automatically convinced once you will have a look at his newly-constructed grand bungalow. Just compare his dilapidated Kandojal mudhouse in Garam Chashma and his grand Seenlasht building. A man who has no guts to call a spade a spade will never be able to lead from the front and same is the case with Sardar Hussain as he has failed to prove himself as a leader despite passge of his over 20-year political career. The mere oratory skills will not work. You should also have the guts to fight against the corrupt even if he/she is your kin. Interestingly, a text message being circulated by the so-called peers of Chitral is an eye opener for the whole people of Chitral. Following is the text message being circulated by the Chitrali peers as part of election campaigns for Syed Sardar Hussain Shah: “Aap k voton ka asal haqdar aap ka tarjuman, peer-e-zamana, aulad-e-Rasool, waris-e-kalma, Syedena Hazrat-e-Shah Syed Sardar Hussain Shah Peerzada ko vote dei ker dunya aur aakhirat mei kamyabi hasil karein, from Sadaat Union”.
I am sure you must agree with me that a man with such an outdated thought will never be able to lead over 500,000 Chitralis. I would have been the first one to support him if he could have the quality of a neutral leader. Good luck buddy and wish you all the best.
I totally agree with both these worthy writers, Mr Fazal Sher and Mr Wasim. Yes Sardar Hussain is bad and not suitable for the job because he is not a Shehzada but a talented son of a poor father. Had he been a shehzada we would have given him vote in consecutive 17 times to his 3rd generation and even not ask “Sir what you have done in your previous 15 times rule as our representative.” He is very bad as he has not sold the quota of Chitral grain to the lucrative market of Afghanistan and have not constructed big houses in Chitral, Peshawar or Islamabad. He is bad because he has not sold our quota of petroleum in Rawalpindi and very smartly not even taken its fare from Rawalpindi to Khot, Laspur or Yarkhun from national tax money. Otherwise he would also been a good candidate to represent us like the others available in the market. He is bad because he has not done any corruption in electricity pole installation in Chitral.Yes it is very bad and a big corruption when an ordinary man like us sits with Governor of GB in his office or minister of population in Peshawar even he is his comrade. Now this is time to teach him a lesson. Why he has dared to represent us though this is not a job of ordinary people like Sardar Hussain without having corruption money, big family name, big bangallows and many land cruisers but living in a poor house near a dusty and narrow road in Booni.
Our beloved Shah jee has nothing else to say as he also enjoyed the golden days of PPP during its authoritarian five-year corrupt rule with former provincial minister for population welfare Salim Khan. Whenever we went to Peshawar, it was Shah jee who was seen sitting with his brother minister in his office. Besides, Pir Syed Karam Ali was instrumental in awarding a ticket to him for provincial assembly seat. Pir Karam and Salim Khan played such a role that the provincial leadership was unable to even consider the old PPP jiyalas in Chitral. They were completely bypassed and kicked out without even listening to them. Zainul Abeden, who rendered valuable sacrifices for the party, stands nowhere today and same is the case with Sultan Shah of Ozhor and Sartaj Ahmad of Drosh. The incompetent provincial leadership allotted tickets to the newly emerged and self-proclaimed jiyalas like Salim Khan without knowing its repercussions. The PPP is almost over in Chitral. All the old workers of the party are now extending support to other political parties. Some of them have jumped into the fray to contest elections independently. Salim Khan of Kandujal has already lost the battle, while a humiliating defeat awaits Syed Sardar Hussain Shah of Booni. The bad days of PPP have begun after PPP failed to complete Lowari tunnel project. The people of Chitral hate the PPP for its double standards. It is no more the PPP of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and has completely been taken over by Zardaris, which include his sisters Faryal Talpur, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and Awais Muzzaffar alias Tappi – an adopted son of Hakim Ali Zardari. The need of the hour is that the people should reject these dubious people. God forbid if these people are voted by power even by mistake, the people of Chitral must be ready to bear with a Salim Khan and Syed Sardar Hussain Shah for another five years. Beware Chitralis as the ball is in your court, you must think twice before exercising your right to franchise on May 11 as the current leadership of Chitral minus Gen Pervez Musharraf, the hero of Chitralis, is corrupt from from head to toe. The willful delay in Lowari tunnel project is the most shocking example of PPP’s corruption and it blows the mind of every sincere Chitrali. Let us promise that the honest Chitralis are capable enough to make these handful of corrupts accountable by rejecting in elections. Don’t vote for them as this is the best way to disqualify them forever.
I had great respect for this man but he also turned out to be a power thirsty, dubious and with double standard policies like his predecessor Salim Khan. He should have at least thought twice before making such a tall claim in a bid to befool Chitralis that corrupt PPP government continued the work on the Lowari project. Let met set the record straight that it was PPP due to which people of Chitral are still suffering. The work on the project was delayed after the PPP shifted the development finds to Multan. Had there been Musharraf, the project would have been completed long ago.
His claim of increasing the cost of Lowari tunnel project to 18 billion is a white lie. If the drilling at the tunnel could be completed at a cost of Rs3 billion, why there has been no progress despite commitment when his party was in power for five years. They were the wholly-solely in-charge of the affairs in both centre and the province. But what they gave to Chitral and Chitralis is nothing and now their cronies are out seeking votes by befooling people. The people of Chitral must give this corrupt lot a humiliating defeat as this is the only option to take revenge from these people.
The most interesting rather childish answer given by Shah g is his comparison of Raja Rental or the Peer of Multan with the president of a super power. Oh come on Shah g if there is nothing to say, say nothing please. Chitral is not a hub of terrorism where Taliban could kill your beloved Gilani or Pervez Asharf in case of a visit to Chitral.
Pervez Musharraf, the savior of Pakistan and the hero of Chitralis, visited Chitral four times at a time when Malakand division was considered to be a stronghold of Taliban fugitives. Musharraf salute to Chitralis in his trademark military style and showed his fist to Taliban with a warning that as long as he was there he would crush them. The commando danced with Chitralis at Shandur… this should be the spirit of a leader. We do not need cowards like Zaradri, Gilani or a leader like Sardar Husain who are afraid of Taliban. You are not capable my dear to lead 500,000 Chitralis and better stay home and do some handcraft business.