PESHAWAR: Unveiling a new Right to Public Services Ordinance here on Thursday, Imran Khan claimed that once in effect the new law will help improve governance in the province. But other speaking at the ceremony urged the PTI-led coalition government to focus on improving services delivery within the existing legal framework first and questioned the potential efficacy of the new ordinance.

The ordinance renders government officers failing to provide public services to people liable to action under a legal framework whichintroduces a system of check and balance in the province. A three-member independent commission, `right to public services commission`, consisting of a chief commissioner and two members will be formed and it will serve as an appellate forum. It will be empowered to impose fine on guilty officers. `It (the new law) will change everything,` claimed Imran Khan and quoted the example of `Nitish Kumar (Indian politician) who has managed to turn around his Bihar state (by introducing a similar law)`.

Zafar Ali Shah, the secretary of provincial administration department, explained salient features of the ordinance, including the role of the appellate authorities, fines varying from Rs500 to Rs50,000, anticipated improvements in governance, and steps to be taken by the government to implement it.

Rustam Shah Mohmand, former chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, praised theefforts being made by the government to improve the governance, but said that there were areas which required quick action.

He said that `90 per cent schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lack water, 80 per cent don`t have toilets. This requires urgent action, rather than reforms`, he said.

His remarks attracted a quick response from Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Mr Khan who appreciated Mr Mohmand`s remarks and said the new ordinance would bring about real change in the province.

`I am an idealist,` said Mr Khan. Not a single realist in history has achieved success,` he added. Expressing optimism about changing things in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through good governance, a corruption-free administration and culture of accountability, the PTI chief recounted the success he had achieved because of his idealism first in his cricketing career and later as a philanthropist.