PESHAWAR
Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Tuesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was least bothered to work for the uplift of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as they were staging rallies and protests for the release of their jailed founder.
“The PTI has been ruling KP for the third straight term but its MNAs and MPAs are busy staging rallies for Imran Khan’s release,” he said while addressing a well-attended gathering in Sherpao village in Charsadda district to mark the 50th death anniversary of Shaheed Hayat Mohammad Khan Sherpao.
Paying rich tributes to his elder brother for his services for the welfare of the downtrodden segments of the society, Aftab Sherpao said that Shaheed Hayat Mohammad Khan laid down his life while striving to help the oppressed get their due rights. He said that Hayat Mohammad Khan was a visionary leader, who had challenged the forces of the status quo. “He created political awareness among his followers,” the QWP leader recalled.
Criticizing the PTI government for ignoring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said that law and order had deteriorated in the entire province while the Kurram issue was also mishandled.
Calling for a dialogue to bring political stability, Aftab Sherpao said that the PTI and the federal government were holding the talks for the sake of talks, but they were not sincere to end the stalemate. He said the PTI leaders were receiving instructions from jail regarding the talks with the government.
Before the last general election, the QWP leader said that they were expecting that the polls would help bring political stability but that did not happen.
In 2018, the Results Transmission System was shut down while in 2024 the form 47 government was imposed on the country,” he said, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner for having failed to ensure the holding of the free and fair election.
He said the provincial government was spending public funds on organizing rallies and demanded a probe into the misuse of official resources. He said the provincial government was was run from the jail through a remote controlled device.
He was also critical of the federal government for making the 26th Constitutional Amendment which he believed caused unrest in the superior judiciary. He said the amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act were meant to muzzle the press and stifle dissenting voices on the social media.
Sharing the way forward to steer the country out of the prevailing challenges, he said that a welfare state should be established in accordance with the provisions of the 1973 Constitution.
“Efforts should be made to establish a state, where all the people irrespective of their social status should be treated equally,” he said, adding that it was the right of the people to have access to health and education facilities and other amenities of life.
He maintained that the Constitution should be applied to the people equally. He said all state institutions should work within the ambit of the Constitution.
The QWP leader further said that since Pakistan was a federation, therefore, all the federating units should have provincial autonomy and the provinces must have control over their resources.
Turning to the plight of the Pakhtuns, he said that their grievances should be addressed to remove the growing sense of deprivation among them.
He also called for coordinated efforts to restore peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where terrorism had again reared its ugly head. “Security conditions remain precarious, with approximately 670 incidents of terrorism reported in the past year—averaging two to three attacks daily—underscoring the gravity of the situation,” he remarked.
He said that the ongoing political confrontation in the country was taking a heavy toll on the people, underscoring the need for dialogue to steer the country out of the prevailing challenges.
Elaborating on his call for dialogue in the current atmosphere of political tensions and deteriorating law and order, he suggested that an All Parties Conference should be held to find out ways to address the challenges.
Despite the worsening conditions in KP, the provincial government under Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had failed to address security concerns, he said.
Addressing Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan, Aftab Sherpao emphasized that the federal government’s unnecessary rhetoric was further complicating the situation, showing a lack of strategic understanding.
The lack of promised financial resources for the merged tribal districts was causing unrest among the local population he said and added that funds were required to improve conditions.
He said that efforts must be made to secure the province’s due share from the federal government.
