PESHAWAR - Ministers in the new Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government delivering less than satisfactory performance will be replaced after three months, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan warned Tuesday, under a new probation policy aimed at performance evaluation.

Newly-elected members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly belonging to the PTI attended a parliamentary party meeting presided over by prime minister-in-waiting Imran Khan. Imran said a committee would be set up to monitor the performance of ministers and chief minister. Authorities concerned will have their performance evaluated for a period of up to three months and, if the performance is not up to the mark, action will be taken in the form of dismissal, he added.

Imran vowed to take drastic measures, including curtailing expenditure on the VVIP culture, to overcome the enormous economic challenges being faced by the country.

Addressing members-elect of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly here, Imran said a committee would be constituted to review the expenditure incurred by the offices of president, prime minister, ministers and other high dignitaries, and suggest austerity measures. The savings through curtailing expenditure of the offices of very very important persons (VVIPs) and other departments would be spent on the people’s welfare, he added. The PTI had not come into government to rule but to serve the masses, he added. The country, he said, was facing the worst financial crisis which it had never witnessed since its inception.

About approaching the International Monitory Fund for loan, Imran said the PTI government would take any decision in that regard after thorough deliberations. “We have to do away with traditional politicking and set a better example of good governance within limited expenditure,” he said, as otherwise the people would not forgive the PTI expressing their anger with more severity than the previous regimes.

He said there would be no discretionary fund for any minister for execution of any scheme as his government would rather do legislation for elimination of the same.

Imran Khan said in today’s world nothing could be kept secret from the people and the elected representatives will have to be careful and cautious while running the government affairs. “Having fear from the Almighty, we will have to work round-the-clock for the public welfare,” he added.

The PTI chief said former KP chief minister Pervaiz Khattak had run the government in very difficult circumstances and delivered. The party workers will have to be vigilant for good governance by their government, he added.

He said selection of the chief minister and ministers was his responsibility and he would do that job purely on merit.

The ministers, he said, would be given targets of their respective portfolios and held accountable through a proper mechanism. They would have to reach their offices by 9 am positively, he said and added the PTI government would not disappoint the people as far as its slogan of making a `new Pakistan’ was concerned.

Change, he said, could not be brought without sacrifices. The parliamentarians would have to set an example by being honest and doing hard work in performance of their jobs, he added.

“We have to do more work in reforming police, education, health and local government as we have to change this country in the coming five years,” he said.

Imran expressed optimism to implement all his promises and bring change in Pakistan in next five years. However, he said that this change could not be achieved without sacrifices.

Imran along with former KP chief minister Pervaiz Khattak skipped the prime ministerial security protocol and drove around the city without any road blockade. They drove around the city allowing routine traffic on their route.

Imran said, “Over 50 percent of Pakistanis are living below poverty line. We have to make Pakistan a welfare state. We have to serve the people.”

“We have to reduce expenditures and bring austerity measures. A committee will be formed to reduce expenditures of president, prime minister and the ministers,” the PTI chief said.

“We have to do away with traditional politicking and set a better example of good governance within limited expenditure,” he said.

He said that nomination for the KP chief minister slot and cabinet formation was his responsibility, therefore, everything will be made on merit and everyone will be held accountable.

All ministers will be given certain targets and they will have to meet their given targets at any cost.

“We have to do more work in reforming police, education, health and local government as we have to change this country in the coming five years,” he said.