If Pashtuns Had Political Power Like Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Would Have World-Class Education and Health Systems: Khushal Kakar

**Mardan (Qudrat News)** — Chairman of the **Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PNAP)**, **Khushal Khan Kakar**, has said that if the Pashtun people enjoyed the same level of political power as Punjab, **Khyber Pakhtunkhwa** would today have **a high-quality education and healthcare system, robust industries, and extensive infrastructure networks**.

He expressed these views while addressing a large public gathering (*Olasi Jirga*) organized by the party at **Shah Zaman Qila, Mardan**. The event was also addressed by **Co-Chairman Mukhtar Khan Yousafzai**, **Senior Deputy Chairman Raza Muhammad Raza**, **Central Secretary Ali Haider**, and **Gohar Ali**.

Speakers strongly criticized the federal authorities for keeping the Pashtun population deprived of their **basic rights**, saying that “the Pashtun nation has been reduced to a laboring class in its own homeland.” They emphasized that **the rivers, cheap electricity, gas, forests, and mineral wealth of Pashtunkhwa** serve as economic lifelines for the country, yet the **Pashtun people have no control over their natural resources**.

Khushal Kakar said, “If Pashtuns had political authority similar to Punjab, today Pashtunkhwa would have world-class education and health systems, abundant employment opportunities through industries, and a network of motorways. Instead, our people are struggling for the protection of their lives, property, and dignity.”

The speakers also referred to the **Indus Water Accord of 1991**, saying it deprived Pashtuns of ownership rights over the historic **Abasin River (Indus)**. They lamented that while irrigation projects in other provinces were completed within a few years, **construction of the Chashma Right and Left Bank Canals** has not even begun after **34 years**, leaving millions of acres of land uncultivated from **Kohat to Dera Ismail Khan**.

They accused **mainstream national parties** of failing to pay Pashtunkhwa its **due electricity profits** and **tax revenues from tobacco production**, urging Pashtuns to **launch peaceful protest movements**, similar to those in **Kashmir and Gilgit**, to demand **cheap electricity and fair taxation**.

Criticizing administrative discrimination, the speakers said that **Pashtuns face hurdles even in obtaining ID cards, licenses, and passports**, as if they must constantly prove their loyalty to Pakistan. “Instead of questioning Pashtunkhwa’s attachment to Pakistan, the real question is — what status does Pashtunkhwa hold in this federation?” they asked.

The speakers demanded that **Pashtuns be granted ownership rights over the province’s vast natural resources** and **full equality within the federation**, stressing that the **formation of a unified national province — from Bolan to Chitral — is the foremost demand of the Pashtun nation**.

They concluded by calling on all **progressive nationalist forces** to unite and form a **national front for equality and justice** to secure the **political, economic, and constitutional rights** of the Pashtun people.