No contact with PDM for talks: Khattak.

PESHAWAR -- Defence minister Pervez Khattak on Thursday said the federal government had neither contacted the Pakistan Democratic Movement nor intended to reach out to the opposition's alliance for dialogue to defuse political tensions in the country.

Talking to reporters during his visit to the TransPeshawar headquarters, Mr Khattak said the government wouldn't back off from its commitment to accountability.

Accompanied by Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser and state minister for parliamentary affairs Ali Mohammad Khan, the minister said the ruling party had enough numbers to win majority in Senate elections.

He also ruled out the candidature of Jahangir Khan Tareen for Senate seat. 'Tareen is nowhere to be seen in the Senate polls,' he said.

The defence minister also got angry when a reporter asked him about the alleged corruption in the BRT project.

'Shoot me if someone proves that I have taken ill-gotten money home,' he said.

Minister says PTI won't back off from accountability commitment

The minister curtly asked the reporter how much he had been paid to ask that question.

Mr Khattak and his delegation were briefed on BRT operations, future potential projects followed by all administrative affairs, said an official statement issued here.

According to the statement, the delegates appreciated the overall BRT performance.

On the occasion, defence minister Khattak said the BRT Peshawar was the exemplary public transport system in the country with more than 156,000 people using it on a daily basis even during the Covid-19 restrictions.

He said since the inception of the project, the taxpayers' money was spent on it in a very careful, calculated and transparent manner.

The minister said the number of BRT commuters would increase significantly soon after the arrival of more buses, commencement of bus service on the remaining feeder routes and the reopening of all educational institutions in the provincial capital.

Mr Khattak and his delegation later travelled in a BRT bus from Chamkani to the Mall of Hayatabad with other commuters...