Batkhela: Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Information for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ikhtiyar Wali, delivered a strongly worded speech at a Workers’ Convention held in Batkhela on Thursday. He called for revitalizing the party in the province and launched a blistering critique of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s performance over the past twelve years.
In his remarks, Ikhtiyar Wali stressed that whenever PML-N is weakened, it is the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who suffer the most. He urged party workers to build organizational strength, arguing that a strong party ensures a stronger province and a better future for its residents.
Highlighting the PTI’s long rule, he accused its leadership of bringing only destruction and disorder. He criticized PTI for failing to fulfill its major promises, including the construction of five million houses, the establishment of a “State of Madina,” the development of hospitals, schools, and colleges, and the creation of ten million jobs—none of which, he said, ever materialized.
He described PTI’s so-called reforms as a destructive change that deserved to be “set ablaze,” blaming them for burdening the province with debt and delivering chaos.
Referring to the recent tragic incident in the Swat River, Ikhtiyar Wali condemned the absence of PTI leaders during the crisis, saying that no responsible figure came forward to help the victims. He denounced what he called an insensitive and incompetent administration.
He also targeted current Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, claiming he still did not understand politics. Comparing records of governance, he said that PML-N built motorways that the PTI government later mortgaged to the IMF.
Recalling the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he noted that Sharif had repaid Pakistan’s last IMF installment and declared the country self-reliant. Under PTI rule, however, he said national debt had soared and liabilities doubled.
He clarified that PML-N was not attempting to topple Gandapur’s government, but remarked that the chief minister’s position was already unstable and he should focus on saving his own seat. Wali expressed confidence that once PTI’s government ends in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PML-N would emerge as a strong governing force.
Praising Nawaz Sharif’s legacy, he said that if not for Sharif’s contributions, including the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet and Pakistan’s nuclear program, the country would not have been able to respond effectively to India.
He also launched a scathing attack on former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, accusing him of disqualifying Nawaz Sharif and handing the country over to “incapable individuals.”
In conclusion, Ikhtiyar Wali asserted that PML-N is committed to strengthening the nation, while others only work to weaken it. He alleged that PTI’s agenda even included surrendering Pakistan’s nuclear assets to the IMF. Rejecting claims that the country is on the verge of bankruptcy, he declared that Pakistan will continue to survive, rise, and remain eternal.
