DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has announced an increase in the interest-free loan scheme from Rs3 billion to Rs5 billion for the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“A great person is not one who possesses degrees and wealth, but one who has a great vision. Nations progress only when they carry the pain of the country in their hearts,” he said.
Addressing the Young Leaders Convention at Nishtar Hall, Peshawar, the chief minister said while KP was being deprived of its due share, corruption at the federal level has reached Rs5,300 billion, as reported by the International Monetary Fund.
“Corrupt rulers face no scrutiny for spending looted public money on overseas islands and apartments, yet the provincial government is criticised for allocating Rs4 billion for Tirah’s affected and displaced population,” he said.
CM-KP also criticized the federal government for denying the province its financial rights following the administrative merger of the erstwhile FATA in 2018, calling it a “clear violation of the Constitution.”
Afridi noted that the federal government currently owes KP Rs4,758 billion. He added that despite limited resources, his government was serving the province for the third term on the basis of performance and service delivery, and that timely release of outstanding dues would further enhance public services.
Afridi also strongly criticized the Punjab government, accusing it of imposing a de facto civil martial law, curbing political freedoms, and exhibiting an authoritarian mindset.
He condemned the imprisonment of senior politicians, describing it as “the worst form of political victimization,” and alleged that the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan was unlawfully detained while poisonous water was reportedly released at night outside Adiala Jail against his sisters protesting the arrests.
He urged the youth to raise their voices in all forums and emphasized that their struggle remains strictly within the law and Constitution.
“It is better to raise our voices as a living nation than to carry coffins,” he said, adding that the government would introduce policies benefiting all segments of society.
