Group Interviews of two expected candidates for Local Government Elections in D I Khan

Photo by Naseer Azam

Photo by Naseer Azam

(UPI Next Pakistan commenced third phase of its project to train journalists about local elections. The following interviews were conducted by a group of 10 journalists of D I Khan during the training session.) 

Chaudhry Muhammad Ashfaq is a former district nazim of D I Khan and represents the biggest religious party in the parliament Jamiat Ulema e Islam (JUI-F).

Q: What will u do for women’s financial emancipation?
A: We will equally address the problem of women on priority. Promote literacy rate of women, encourage local industry like poultry farms, dates farms, Livestock and women labor related projects……I want to setup Chitral  Livestock model here to produce milk, silk and meat with women’s involvement.

Q: What about education and skills for women? Any plans?
A: I feel that available vocational training centers in DIK are not enough to cater the needs: there are 27 vocational centers in government’s documents but most of them are not functional. I want to make them fully functional, attract more and more women for training and learning and for this purpose we will apprise the people through media campaigns.

Q: what you are saying all about women in rural areas. Any plan for urban women?
A: Literacy rate in the city is higher than other cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The city’s women need employment. We want to ensure women employment in health and education and enhance employment opportunities for women up to 50% in these sectors. In our last government, we had arranged cultural activities, exhibitions for locally made products by women. We want to market their expertise and products at national level. For this purpose, district government will organize annual exhibitions at local and national level.

Q: Implementation of your plans needs huge sum of money. JUI is the major opposition party in KP. How would you get extra fund from provincial government if you form district government in DIK?
A: It’s true that the ruling group normally does not release funds to opposition parties. But, we will try to work in coordination with provincial and central governments.

Q:  People of DIK believe that drainage problems are outcome of your previous government’s ill planning for construction of roads. What do you say?
A: We spent lot of funds for DIK’s development during our rule in KP. Sewerage problem was caused due to poor implementation of our plan by civic bodies. Now, we have planned a central sewerage system for the city that would cost us over one billion rupee..
Q: Any plan for the provision of clean drinking water as it a major problem?
A: We understand gravity of this problem in DIK. It is really not potable. Poor and middle income families are using contaminated water. Our future plan is to ensure treated water supply to every house in DIK.

Q:  You plans need huge fund whereas total fund of the DIK District Government involves a few million rupees. Would you impose new city taxes for fund generation?
A: First, we will create awareness among the people to pay already imposed taxes. We have a plan to generate funds instead of imposing new taxes. We would promote fish and livestock industries under the district government that would help us collect revenue.

Q: People say your party leaders are not accessible after elections. Is it true?
A: This is not correct. No doubt, JUI’s senior leadership remains busy in Islamabad however; the party district cabinet is always available.

Q: During general and by-elections, women were not allowed to vote in areas where JUI is dominant. Did you raise voice against it?
A: This is wrong to say that JUI stops women from voting, In DIK, JUI has female wings which are politically active.

Q: What plan for peace in DIK as it has been facing serious law and order problem for last three years?
A: During our last rule in KP during 2002-2007, we resolved sectarian problem in DIK by bring conflicting sects on negotiations table. We will again try to resolve it through negotiations.

 

PC 2

Inayat  Adil (PTI)

Inayat Adil is a member of Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf’s district cabinet.

Q: How to address the problems of DIK?
A: Our ideology is to give power to people at grass root level, enabling them to resolve their problems while using state institutions. At present, state institutions are not working properly. Public servants and bodies do exist but they are not serving people properly. Workers do attend their duties but they serve influential people at their homes. We will change this culture. Main problem of DIK is water drainage system that is causing destruction of roads, streets and markets besides increasing pollution and health hazards in the city. We are have planned e mega project worth 1.2 billion rupees to resolve drainage problem.

Q: How would you fund this project?
A: We will not take money from outside. We will generate our own fund by constructing markets, business centers etc.

Q: Women Vocational centers are not working properly in DIK. Any plan for making them fully operative?
A: These vocational centers are defunct organizations and exist only in documents. PTI wants to reactivate them after enhancing their capacity. PTI women cabinet is working on the women issues.

Q: PTI chanted slogan for a change before elections. What change it has brought in DIK during last three months?
A: Apparently there is no change. But something is rapidly grown under water. PTI’s district cabinet has identified the problems and would resolve them through local government as it had announced before general elections that no fund would be released to members of national and provincial assemblies but to local governments. You will see change in DIK after local elections. We have planned to raise salaries of local employees,. We would provide facilities to youth for their extracurricular activities. DIK’s Town Hall would be converted into commercial centers and family park. More markets would be constructed to jettison burden on roads.

Photo by Naseer Azam