PESHAWAR: Expressing his concern over the prevailing political crisis and increasing sense of deprivation among Pakhtuns, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has announced that his party will soon convene a conference of Pakhtun leaders to devise an effective strategy for getting rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the federal government.

Mr Sherpao made the announcement during a press conference at his party’s central secretariat at University Town here on Sunday. He was flanked by party leaders, including Hashim Babar, MPA Sikandar Sherpao, former senator Haji Ghufran and others.

The QWP chairman said that it was duty of the federal government to support Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by initiating mega projects, controlling power loadshedding and taping natural resources of the province so that the fate of the people could be changed.

Referring to the loss of lives and properties during a rainstorm in Peshawar, he criticised the provincial government for its failure to take prompt steps for welfare of the people. He said that the rulers had abandoned the internally displaced persons and disaster-hit people.

Sherpao slams KP govt, centre for deprivations of Pakhtuns

Mr Sherpao alleged that the resources of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being misused and the real issues of Pakhtuns ignored. He said that the ministers and office-bearers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were paid millions of rupees to bring people to ‘Azadi March’ in Islamabad, but they failed to bring 10 million people on roads despite participation of government employees in the march.

He said that PTI was insulting peoples’ mandate by talking about dissolution of the provincial assembly. “We will resist any move against the elected assembly,” he said and asked PTI to improve its government’s performance instead of fleeing from the field.

Mr Sherpao criticised the federal government for mishandling the state affairs, which had been causing serious unrest among the smaller provinces. He said that the centre had turned a blind eye to the problems being faced by people of smaller provinces, and as such the threat to the federation was more serious than to democracy.

He said that PTI chairman Imran Khan was indulging in non-issues as he didn’t have the vision to find out solutions to the problems being faced by Pakhtuns. He said that besieging Islamabad, insulting parliament and demanding mid-term elections and resignation of the prime minister were childish and enough to prove immaturity of Mr Khan.

Sharing decisions of the QWP Sunday’s meeting, Mr Sherpao said that his party would soon convene a conference of Pakhtun leaders of different political parties to seek solutions to the problems being faced by Pakhtuns. He said that date, time and venue of the conference would be announced soon. He claimed that the provincial government had failed and was now looking for excuses to dissolve the assembly.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2014