Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur voiced support Monday for the construction of the Kalabagh Dam, saying the project should be undertaken in Pakistan’s national interest and not for provincial or personal gains.
Speaking to senior journalists, Gandapur said wrong policies had turned Afghanistan into an adversary. “Forty years later, we are sending them back, but they are still blocked in my province. Why not grant them citizenship when billions of dollars are being invested?” he said, adding that a student visa scheme was initiated on his request. He also offered medical assistance for victims of recent earthquakes in Afghanistan.
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Highlighting the province’s security challenges, Gandapur said, “There isn’t a single sniper rifle in the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. No police station or officer has a bulletproof vehicle, yet we are up against those who defeated America.” He stressed the need for greater investment in the police, noting a shortage of 92 officers and urging the federal government to provide resources.
The chief minister said past governments had neglected police spending, but his administration had ordered 50 bulletproof vehicles and planned to procure more. “If the dacoits of Kacha are handed over to me, I will teach them a lesson,” he remarked.
Gandapur also spoke on the devastation caused by recent floods and rains, calling disaster response in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa timely and effective. He said compensation had been paid to most families of those killed, while payments for damaged homes and commercial losses were underway.
“Had 25 percent of the dam budget been spent earlier, this destruction could have been avoided,” he said, adding that the provincial government had already started dam projects in Lakki Marwat and Karak, with similar work to begin in Peshawar. He also pointed to recurring issues of landslides in Malakand and Hazara and dismissed claims that deforestation caused the recent cloudburst in Buner.
Afghan nationals should be given Pakistani nationality
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said Pakistan’s wrong policies had turned Afghanistan into an enemy.
He noted that Afghans were being expelled after 40 years but were still restricted within his province.
Gandapur questioned why Afghans were not granted citizenship despite billions of dollars being invested in the country, urging that they should be given nationality.
