We won’t speak to establishment secretly, says CM Gandapur

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Wednesday said he was part of the committee nominated by detained PTI founder Imran Khan to hold dialogue with the security establishment.

“We won’t keep anything [regarding negotiations with the establishment] secret,” Mr Gandapur told reporters after attending a Labour Day function at a hotel here.

The chief minister said former prime minister Imran Khan had given the go-ahead to the party for holding talks with the establishment, and he was part of the dialogue panel.

He said he was happy to see JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman tell the truth about election rigging.

CM orders delivery of residential flats to labourers

Mr Gandapur said the JUI-F chief was part of almost every government, and therefore, he would reveal other “secrets” about Pakistani politics as well.

He said Mr Fazl first claimed that he ousted Imran Khan’s government but later blamed former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for it, so he should speak more about it.

The chief minister said the JUI-F chief claimed that the mandate given by voters to his party was stolen.

He said since he had defeated Mr Fazl in the Feb 8 polls, he was ready for the verification of votes polled by him and other candidates.

“The Maulana claimed his mandate was stolen, but in reality, he was deceived by those with whom he had always made deals to grab power,” he said.

Earlier in the function, the chief minister announced the appointment of “wage magistrates” to ensure the implementation of the minimum wage fixed by the government. He said the salaries of labourers must be transferred into their bank accounts, and that should be monitored by an effective mechanism.

Mr Gandapur said his government would protect the rights of labourers and work for their welfare by introducing new laws and making reforms in the legal framework, according to an statement issued by the Chief Minister’s House.

He said the provincial government would stand by the labour class and would not allow any individual or institution to exploit them.

“The stakeholders, including representatives of labourers, will be taken on board during the process of legislation and reforms,” he said.

The chief announced the government would double packages of assistance for labourers.

He said since the revenue of the labour department had increased, the assistance packages for labourers should be enhanced.

Mr Gandapur transferred Rs177.5 million funds to the relevant bank account online for the educational expenses of the children of labourers and said 22,354 students would benefit from that money.

He said 2,056 residential flats constructed for labourers should be handed over to them at the earliest in consultation with stakeholders and in a transparent manner. The chief minister said the ease of doing business was one of the priorities of his government, and therefore, it would attract investors by extending facilities to them.

“We are providing investors with a conducive environment,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said plans were also in the works to provide locally produced electricity to the industry at low rates.

He said the initiative would benefit labourers and create jobs.

The chief minister said since the government’s intentions and priorities were clear, it would deliver the goods.