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Interview: Forget your differences, work for Chitral

Report Alhaj Muhammad Khan of Charun CHITRAL, May 16: After being re-elected as member of the provincial assembly (MPA) from PK-89 lower Chitral for the second consecutive time, PPP leader and former provincial minister Salim Khan has advised all political leaders of Chitral to forget their petty differences and jointly work for the betterment of the people of the backward area. saleem2In an interview with ChitralToday correspondent Alhaj Muhammad Khan at his residence in Chitral, Salim Khan attributed his victory to the development work which he carried out in the constituency during the five-year-long PPP government. It may be noted that Salim Khan remained provincial minister for population welfare from 2008 to 2013. The following is the excerpt of the interview: Chitraltoday.net: First of all, congratulations on behalf of ChitralToday and its entire team for your re-election as a member of the provincial assembly from PK-89 lower Chitral for the second time. What would you like to say about your victory? Salim Khan: Thank you. It is a blessing of Almighty Allah who gave me success once again and I also would like to thank the people of my constituency for reposing trust in me. In the context of Chitral, it is very difficult to be re-elected. I have got the honour of becoming MPA for the second time after serving the area as a provincial minister and before that as the district naib nazim. CTN: What were the main factors that led to your success this time? SK: Chitral has been a backward area since independence. The Pakistan People’s Party formed the KPK coalition government after the 2008 elections and as a minister in the provincial cabinet I did my level best to address the issues the people of Chitral were facing and started a number of development works in different sectors. CTN: You remained in the KPK Assembly for five years and also worked as a minister, would this experience help you better serve the public in your second tenure? SK: Well, it’s true that I have had adequate experience of working with political leadership and provincial bureaucracy and it will certainly help me work better in this term. And I am very hopeful that I would complete the ongoing projects that we had started in the last government. CTN: Do you think that you got the public mandate again because of your good work and if so what are you plans to do as an MPA now? SK: As far as your question is concerned, I am concerned about the energy deficiency in Chitral. I have a plan for the upgradation of the hydel power supply in Chitral, completion of Lowari tunnel, bypass road, Golan Gole project and other schemes in the energy sector besides construction of roads and completion of the hydropower projects in different parts of lower Chitral. CTN: During electioneering which party or candidate gave you a tough time? SK: Well, every party candidate used all options to get public support but like the elections of 2008 I was thinking that the JUI would give me a tough time this time. However, the APML candidate turned out to be very strong because he had the patronage of the veteran and ‘guru of politics’ Shahzada Muhiuddin. Apart from that, the APML used the card of Musharraf against me, though the party had publicly boycotted the elections. But at the end, it was the trust of the people in me because of my sincere services that gave me the majority votes. CTN: Again I would like to ask you which project will be on your priority number one? SK: I am committed to working for the development of Chitral and my constituency. I have a plan for upgrading the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Campus and Abdul Wali Khan University Campus into fully-fledged universities. I will also try to resume work on the bypass road and black-topping of Garam Chashma road. CTN: As you know the people of KPK in this election have given mandate to PTI and this party will form government in the province. Would it not be difficult for you to work with the new government led by a new party? SK: Well, of course, but it would also be a challenge for the PTI to form a new model government and come up to the expectations of the people of KPK what they had promised for, and for me as well to work with them. It is again the party leadership of the PPP which will decide about its representatives either to be in the coalition government or sit in the opposition in KPK assembly. CTN: Any message you would like to give and share with the people of Chitral generally and your constituency particularly? CN: Through the esteemed online newspaper paper of Chitral, first I would again like to forward a token of thanks to the people of my constituency for having trust on me and giving their precious votes for me. Availing this opportunity, I would also like to advise other political leaders of Chitral to get united under one umbrella without considering their affiliations with political parties, sect, self-interest and region for serving the people, addressing the issues and meeting public demands of the common interest of the people of Chitral and I will make all-out efforts to meet the expectations of the people of my area.  ]]>

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