PESHAWAR - Awami National Party Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa president and former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said that poor performance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led provincial government and lack of interest to resolve problems had disappointed people of the province.

The former chief minister was speaking at a workers convention on Sunday. Hoti said due to dismal performance of PTI-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government the people of the province had once again pinned hopes on Awami National Party (ANP). He said progress and development would resume in the province if the ANP came into power in 2008 elections. He claimed that after seeing the poor performance of PTI, people of the province were now looking at ANP.

Despite many issues, particularly terrorism, the ANP had done well by launching a number of uplift projects during its government in the province, Hoti claimed. “We will do more if came into power again”, he added. The ANP played a leading role in eliminating terrorism and never compromised on provincial rights, which is crystal clear, he maintained.

Hoti said despite laps of more than three years, the PTI government had so far done nothing for the welfare of KP people which is regrettable, adding that people were saying goodbye to PTI and actively joining ANP.

About future status of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), he said the federal government should waste no more time and immediately merge tribal areas with KP, which he said would be a right decision at a right time. He said holding referendum on the issue was not acceptable to them, because tribal people are Pakhtuns and they want to join their brothers of KP.

He said like other provinces, tribal areas should also be made part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. By doing so, it would help provide jobs to local tribal people and eliminate violence and bringing peace in tribal areas which he said was demand of the day.