“PK77 Buneer is a vast district and Sardar Hussein Babak from ANP is among a few rare politicians who have won the last election as MPA. While prominent leaders of ANP failed to defend their seats, Babak was able to win because of track record for public works, family support and regular connection with his people. He claims to have provided an excellent network of roads in Buneer and infrastructure in each sector. He is very critical of the new PTI government and perceives their doom very soon. When he was asked the reason for their party’s failure in the election, he said that they were not allowed to carry their election campaign openly. However, Aziz Buneri termed the corruption and incompetence of the local leadership as the main reason for their failure.” Shams Mohmand: Assalam u Alekum. A very warm welcome is offered to all of our dear listeners by Shams Mohmand on behalf of CRSS. As you know we try to talk to your elected MPs in this segment about your problems. Today we have invited to our studio Mr. Sardar Hussein Babak who is an elected MPA from PK77 Buneer. He is a leading an important personality in ANP and had been the Education Minister for five years in the previous government. We have also another guest who belongs to Buneer as well but he is a famous journalist Mr. Aziz Buneri. We will also talk to him about the district of Buneer and its problems. Dear listeners, you can also contact us through our prescribed numbers and your feedback will be highly appreciated. I welcome you both to the studio. First of all I would like to ask Aziz Buneri if he could please tell us some of the major problems in Buneer. Aziz Buneri: One of the main problems in Buneer is the provision of natural gas to the region. On both sides of Buneer we have gas supply at short distance. Gas is provided to Swabi on one side while on the other side Palai area has also gas supply. It is at a short distance of only seven kilometer. In the health sector, up gradation of health units is required. In the field of communication it is needed that some of the roads need to be laid again. For example the road to the marble factories was laid in 1992 which is in ruins now. Shams Mohmand: marble is a good natural resource in Buneer. Proper transportation is needed to take full benefits from it. Why this road was left out while you were in power for five years? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: Let me clarify it that Buneer is a vast district. During the last five years we have done much but still the area is so vast that something is still needed there. We have provided the infrastructure in every field. We laid a good metallic road from Rustam to GS and even in the present budget 48 cror rupees are sanctioned for it. We also completed the road from Sarmalang to Mardan along with a fine road from Swabi to Kankagai. And so many others minor roads. We just limited the duration of so many projects and worked with speed. I challenge that the progress we made throughout the province is unsurpassed by any other government. Our efforts are praise worthy. The present government has boasted so much but now they are in practical field and we will test them. Shams Mohmand: You referred to the speed of your projects and claimed that you limited the duration. But in front of our radio station there is a flyover which is pending for three long years. While in the Punjab such projects were completed within a span of six months to one year at the most. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: You journalist have developed the bad habit of criticizing only and are oblivious to the good works. Why you people are not raising your voice about the closure of road in front of the provincial assembly which is a matter of public interest? Shams Mohmand: give me a break sir and take the daily Mashriq today. In the main editorial section this matter is discussed in great detail. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: But it was even closed to this day. Shams Mohmand: No sir I came through it this afternoon and it was opened. Aziz can testify to this fact as well. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: Ok. We may not entangle ourselves in such discussion. I just want to say that now a day you cannot talk about the journalist, judges and the generals. They all are sacred but can criticize us openly. The project you referred to was slowed down because of frequent stay orders granted by the court. Our people are just crazy about court and seek stay orders easily. The stipulated time for the project was just one year and one month that was dragged to three years. We appreciate positive criticism. The road is still closed as I told you. Shams Mohmand: you are referring to this problem because you are in opposition now and it is easy to say than to act. The fact is that the same road used to be closed down both ways during your government. What do you say Aziz? Aziz Buneri: Yes it is true that this matter is talked about in the Mashriq news paper today but I will not mention the name of the person who wrote about it because journalism has become such a perilous job now. State actors in our country are so powerful and there is no security for us. Many of our journalists have been martyred in cold blood. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: So you are afraid of death and will not tell the truth. The sacrifices of ANP are many. We have lost the brave Bilour. Mian Iftikhar Hussein lost his only son but was not deterred and stood in the field. We faced all this for our country. Shams Mohmand: But also remember that for whom do we pin point these people? We identify them for our rulers. You were the ruler and knew these people very well. So, why you didn’t put your hands on them? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: Yes of course we stood our ground. We were challenged at the start that we could not complete just five days but we completed five years. I was threatened but I was not deterred. The present government is so timid even to criticize these terrorists. They even do not stand in the funeral of security personals. They cannot find a person to have the information ministry. Shams Mohmand: But you also switched from information ministry to education in your time? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: We had a valid reason for it because Mian told us that education is tedious ministry and he was unable to deliver and so I was ready to shoulder the responsibility. Now look at the DI Khan prison incident. We also faced the same incident in Bannu prison which was purely an accident. But this time they have proper information beforehand and had enough time for preparation. But what happened was bizarre. The militants used loud speaker on the road and were distributing sweet at their success while the provincial government was even denying the incident to have occurred. It needs a lot of courage to face all this. Shams Mohmand: I think first we should talk about your constituency and then politics. During the five years when you were in power, you did a lot but why people rejected your party and only you are elected? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: we are not rejected by the people. We had no campaign and faced 31 attacks. Many of our leaders and workers were killed. My brother was fired on. Shams Mohmand: But why only you were able to win and not others from your party? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: I am a part of ANP and we all should have been let to talk to our people. why there were attacks and threats for us only. It was unfair. Aziz Buneri: I certainly agree that there were attacks and threats against them but according to my observation and fair assessment, the local leadership at gross root level is mainly responsible for their failure. They kept their leadership ignorant about the real situation and misappropriated all the funds which never reached to the public. If ANP wants have a revival then they should arrest all such people who have taken advantage at their expense and showed green gardens to their leaders. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak on the other hand did a lot in his constituency which is visible to the voters. One of ANP candidates got eight thousand votes in 2008 but why did his vote bank dropped to just four thousand in 2013. They should find the reasons. Shams Mohmand: It is good to see that you have established good cordial connection with your people. Now that you are in opposition, what is your target for your people? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: I hope that my people know that now I am in opposition and we have very bad traditions while somebody is in opposition. At present we have virtually four governments working in our province. What can I get for my people from them? The government here even does not know that One Unit has been abolished a long time ago. Imran khan who is party head only comes here and presides over the official meeting comprising top brass of provincial bureaucracy. He is not entitled to do so. No party head has ever done that. Neither Asfandyar nor Nawaz Sharif nor Fazal did it. But as I said no government can be seen here. Zia the cursed one and then ….. Shams Mohmand: please we should refrain from irrelevant talk and talk about your own achievements. Let me take the textbook board issue. You made a lot of changes in the text books but there were so many mistakes in these texts even after thorough checking by your government. So who is responsible for that? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: Well I am not the minister now to be held responsible. But I can show you the record of my assembly speeches when I said that I am not a lawyer for anybody to defend their mistakes. There are so many high grade officers in the text board who draw enormous salaries. It was their fault and such people should be punished. Shams Mohmand: so you accept that mistakes were there. During the five years you made so many changes in the curriculum. Now we are hearing that again there would be changes in the textbook. Why every government has to bring changes in the textbooks. Can you tell any good thing that you brought in the curriculum? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: when we decided to bring changes, we thoroughly publicized it in the leading news paper and through other sources. I then called and invited experts in the field of education, theologians, scholars and the like. We studied all the courses from KG to 12th grade and revised it accordingly. I don’t know why they blame us now that Jehad chapters have been excluded by us. They should study all the texts to find out that we have streamlined them accordingly. You know that we are living in a global world and we need to introduce our children to the concept of globalization. Similarly mental ability of the student at each level has to be taken into account. So we revised all subjects according to this plan. I put a challenge to all that whatever question they have, I am ready to answer them. Shams Mohmand: While you were in charge of education ministry, you tried to segregate management from teaching cadre. What merits did you perceive to take this action although it was revised again? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: when I came to know that the principals in grade 17,18 and 19 are appointed as ADO, DDO and Edo respectively, I came up with the idea that why not create a separate management cadre. Then the department gave the requisition to the commission. Caller: This is Mukamil Shah talking from Gulbahar. I offer regards to your guests. My question is that how your guest perceives the change. Imran Khan allowed permits to the public vehicles which their government has disallowed earlier on. This action has benefited thousands of vehicle owners and has brought millions of exchequer to the treasury. Secondly they have taken the good step to provide meal to all the patients and one attendant during Ramadan in all the hospitals. They still have a lot of time to prove their worth.They are doing something good at least. All the governments are in the habit of lamenting the emptiness of national treasury. Caller: My name is Syed Faqir from Khattako Pol. With due respect I want to say that all our leaders and politicians are always criticizing each other and paying no attention to our problems. Our transformer is damaged for so long but nobody cares to repair it. We asked our MPA Saqib so many times but he paid no heed to it. Shams Mohmand: the callers mentioned two things. One is the provision of meal in hospitals and then the permits. Why you people stopped the permits? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: it is evident that these are routine works with the government. They allow it and disallow it for various reasons. This is no change. Yes one change has come that as Zia brought weapon culture and Musharaf introduced Suicide culture, this government has introduced the culture of extortion money. Shams Mohmand: But this curse took its roots during your rule when people were kidnapped for ransom now only a piece of paper with demand is gently sent. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: No, it was not so then. Shams Mohmand: Why to deny the fact when chief justice himself took note of it as 450 people were kidnapped during one month from Peshawar. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: but now thousands are kidnapped. The CM is openly saying that these are our brothers. They are humiliating the police and their moral is so down. We never did that. Caller: I am Saeed khan from Hayatabad. I want to ask Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak that after the passage of 18th Amendment, electricity has become a provincial subject but still we have no electricity. Secondly he laments the only son of Mian but we have also lost 29 good journalists in this war. Caller: This is Abdullah Afridi. I belong to no political party but all of them quite well. They all have vested interest. I want to say that good connection with the people can only be established through good welfare works for them. It is not only to meet them at wedding and funerals. Saqib from ANP was our MPA and if you walk to his Hujra you will find an excellent metallic road but not anywhere else. Funds are available for them but not for the public works. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak should not criticize others. Shams Mohmand: Aziz, Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak is unleashing so hard on the present government and our callers and listeners are annoyed over it. If he is lamenting the only son of Mian Iftikhar then there are 29 journalists that we have lost. Aziz Buneri: I told you at the beginning but he snubbed me outright and said that we are frightened. We did it for our motherland and not for personal gains. We supported their government. I think that time should be given to them. I have seen for myself that PTI government has put a ban on transfers and posting in education department but it is not followed. They are not following their policies and they should control it otherwise it is no change. Shams Mohmand: You also belong to Buneer. Please tell us why people elected Babak and rejected people like Bilour and Mian Iftikhar? Aziz Buneri: he did better in his area. He provided employment opportunities to his people. His family supported him and had good cordial connection with the people. Jafar Shah from Swat is another figure who succeeded because he is a humble public figure. Hoti was successful because he spent enormous funds in Mardan. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: All people seem confused here. When they were asked to vote for book as if it was the Holy Quran, they voted for it. Then Imran Khan came with the slogan of 90 days and they were again deceived. You say they need time. I say they already have enough time because Nawaz Sharif gave them government in charity. If he wants now to do away with them he can do that. Shams Mohmand: it is not so. You are also a political person and know well that government is never given in charity to anyone. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: why not. You know that after the election all the independent MPAs came to Nawaz and he could have formed the government with 71 members. PTI has just gathered parties to form the government. Shams Mohmand: But according to our constitution, leading party in the election is always invited to form the government and PTI was the leading party. So it was their right. When you had the government it means that you also got it in charity. Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: No, we had political alliance with other parties. They are not doing well as it is well said that the first impression is the last impression. Aziz Buneri: The question is that who brought PTI and where they are standing now. They have to face the music now while confronting these militants. Shams Mohmand: well, in the Center you have only one MNA. How much are you satisfied to fight for the rights of your province? Sardar Hussain Babak Hussain Babak: we want that rights and respect should be given to each province. It is said that 18th Amendment is going to be revised in favour of center. We will resist such moves. Shams Mohmand: Thank you very much for your time. We wish that the new government should be given time and respect to prove themselves.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 06:12:07 +0000
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