PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak said on Sunday that Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) has always defended religion whenever anyone spoke against it.

Speaking in a DPC rally held in Peshawar, he said that not only his government served religion but also took initiatives for it which were never thought before. The chief minister added that his government installed solar systems in the mosques and allocated salaries for the clerics.

Meanwhile, Awami National Party spokesperson Zahid Khan in his reaction on the presence of Khattak's at the DPC rally said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf today practically buried the National Action Plan.

He added that Imran Khan should clarify why CM Khattak participated in the rally.

Earlier, PTI and Jamiat Ulema Islam-Sami (JUI-S) announced their alliance for the general elections 2018.

JUI-S leads DPC, an umbrella coalition of more than 40 religious political parties.

The two parties held a meeting at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, Islamabad. In the meeting PTI Chairman Imran Khan met with the JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq.

he two sides agreed to formulate a joint strategy for the next general elections in the country.

In a statement issued the KP government said party leaders at the meeting decided in principle to "struggle jointly" for ridding the country of difficulties and problems, it is facing at present.

It said the two sides agreed to devise a "mutual strategy" in this regard.

Confirming the development, Maulana Samiul Haq said PTI and JUI-S are yet to finalise details of the electoral alliance.

Speaking to Geo News, he said the coalition would benefit the PTI in 2018 elections.