MARDAN, Dec 8: Chief of his own faction of Pakistan People’s Party Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has claimed that the Malakand crisis has been resolved and residents of the agency are returning to their homes.

He was speaking at a public gathering held at Takhtbhai here on Saturday in connection with his party’s election campaign.

Mr Sherpao claimed that he had introduced Sharia in the agency when he was the chief minister of the province. He urged the government to revive Qazi courts he had established in Malakand in 1993.

He said the former Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal provincial government had failed in resolving people’s problems and carrying out development works in the province. He alleged that the MMA leaders had proved to be corrupt and they had minted huge amounts of money. Therefore, he said, there were least chances of the alliance’s coming back into power.

Mr Sherpao hoped that his party would do well in the election and would form the next government in the province.

He said he had successfully constituted the Pakistan-Afghanistan Grand Peace Jirga of 700 people which had met in Kabul. He said another jirga of 25 members from the two countries would be soon formed. He said induction of former provincial finance minister Iftikhar Mohmand as a member of the jirga would be an honour for the Mohmand tribe.

The PPP (S) has fielded Ghaffar Mohmand, a brother of Iftikhar Mohmand, for PF-26 and Jalal Sher Aslam Khattak for NA-10 (Mardan-II).