Hazara to remain part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Iftikhar

"Hazara and its people are the part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will remain, as we did no injustice with them in the past nor will allow it in future and protect their rights on a par and equal basis with other parts of the province. The renaming of the province as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have no effects on the rights and status of the people of this area".
This was stated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations, Ifthikar Hussein, while talking here to a delegation of Hazara Newspapers Society led by its President, Ahmad Nawaz Khan on Friday. Director Information, Shuaib un Din, Assailant Director Abbottabad Muhammad Tayyab and Assistant Director Journalistic Affairs, Zamir Gul were also present on this occasion.
The Minister said that the status of Hazara did not disturb in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and "it is the same Hazara which was in the NWFP". He pointed out that Hazara was the only peaceful division of the province, "and we would not disturb the peaceful atmosphere of Hazara".
Referring to the movement of Hazara province, said that the leaders of Hazara movement and people of Hazara "are our own and we do not consider them separate from us, and wholeheartedly respect them". He to appealed them to beware of conspirators who want to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of Hazara for their nefarious designs. He added that the government had, time and again, stated that demand for a separate province was the democratic and constitutional right of the people of Hazara but they should adopt legal and constitutional ways for it.
He said: "Peace is our motive, and we never fall to the provocation of self-interested elements, and never deviate from the legal means for dealing with any situation". The minister urged the journalists to refrain from provocative reporting and extend help to the government for maintaining peace, particularly in Hazara division, stressing that they should also convey the government's message of love and brotherhood to the people of Hazara.
He asked them to highlight the 63 years' struggle for getting identity for this province. He said: "Our relations with journalism and education are not new but the Baba Amn Bacha Khan had started Pakhthun Magazine and established over 100 educational institutions in the name of Azad Madras at a time when no one could think of it and he remained incarcerated for most of his life but upheld this cause. That was a time when even the readers and subscribers of that historic magazine were arrested and put behind the bars for years."
Commenting on the distribution of advertisements, he said that after Peshawar, most of the newspapers were published from Hazara and no injustice in the distribution of government advertisements would be allowed with them. "Rather, they will be encouraged, and advertisements would be released to the newspapers purely on merit and without any discrimination or political affiliation".
He declared that during the past three years, he never made any favouritism and discrimination in the distribution of advertisements but followed a transparent advertisement policy in letter and spirit. Members of the delegation thanked the minister for hearing their problems with patience and taking interest in their solution. They also invited the minister to visit Hazara, which the minister accepted with thanks.