Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is all set to visit flood-hit areas of Chitral on Wednesday. At the same time Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan along with his wife Reham Khan is also scheduled to embark upon a two-day visit to Chitral on Wednesday afternoon. The prime minister was scheduled to visit Chitral on Tuesday but it was cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather. He is expected to announce mega projects, besides promising to complete the remaining work of Lawari tunnel on priority basis.
A source at the Prime Minister House said that the weather in the morning was cloudy and his (PM) plane was likely to take off by 11 or 11:30am on Wednesday. He said that the prime minister has been given a detailed briefing about the damages caused by the recent floods, besides the slow pace of work at Lawari tunnel. The prime minister had always been hesitant to visit Chitral, as the district is considered to be the stronghold of his archrival Pervez Musharraf. But this time, the devastating floods had left him with no option but to go to Chitral after a long break of so many years. MNA Chitral Prince Iftikharuddin had been moving from pillar-to-post for the last two years in a bid to convince the prime minister through different channels to visit his constituency or else it will remain the bastion of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML).
Meanwhile, the PTI chairman will fly to Chitral on Wednesday afternoon. He will also be accompanied by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak and other senior leaders of the party. Khan will stay in Chitral for two days to take stock of the relief efforts as there are reports that the district administration has miserably failed to undertake the relief activities in wake of the devastating floods.
The sources said that the district administration will also undergo a major shake-up as the PTI chairman is reportedly upset over the poor performance of some top district baboos especially the deputy commissioner. Talking to Business Recorder, PTI central information secretary Naeemul Haq confirmed that Imran Khan along with his wife will leave for Chitral. "Yes, his wife (Reham Khan) along with chief minister Khattak, and Jehangir Khan Tareen will accompany him," he added.