PTI workers demand dissolution of Chitral cabinet

CHITRAL, April 12: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers at a convention here on Saturday burst on the district leadership and called upon the central leaders to dissolve the cabinet immediately.

Provincial president of the PTI Azam Khan Swati was chief guest at the convention held at a local hotel. The workers said PTI had announced to bring changes in the system of governance but so far there was no change seen in Chitral. They said the timber mafia was still very active and involved in brutal cutting of forests despite the fact that the PTI central leadership had promised to take action against those involved in the cutting of trees.

They said the PTI office remained closed for the last three months and there were no activities in the office. The speakers also criticized their district cabinet and said it had failed to deliver. They said there were no changes in the education, health and other departments in Chitral. They said the mineral-rich mountains of Chitral had been leased out to outsiders, including PPP leader Faryal Talpor and other politicians. They said Chitral having the potential of generating 15,000 megawatt electricity but its residents were facing loadshedding of 18 hours a day.

They said there were some 70 colleges but only two campus of universities. Insaf Students Federation demanded fully-fledged university at Chitral because there were more than 10,000 students in graduate and postgraduate level in Chitral. They said most of the PTI senior party workers after developing some grievances with the local leadership had left the party but the PTI district president never tried to woo them back.

Insaf lawyers forum complained that they were being ignored by the party leadership and never taken on board in any decision-making by the party. Addressing the convention, district president PTI Abdul Latif said education fund had been increased from Rs6 to Rs66 billion in the province. Similarly, the PTI government increased the budget of hospitals in Chitral. Azam Swati on the occasion said the PTI never disappointed its workers.

He said he would take up the complaints of the workers at the high level. He said the matter regarding the leasing out of Chitral’s minerals would also be taken up. He also promised the establishment of a university at Chitral. But he did not talk about the district cabinet of the PTI in the light of complaints of the workers. He also administered oath to Insaf Teachers Association office-bearers. Those who also spoke on the occasion were Altaf Gohar Advocate, Nazir Ahmad, president ISF, Israruddin, general secretary ISF, Saraf Khan, general secretary PTI youth wing, Raziuddin and Sajjad Ali.