PESHAWAR: The Qaumi Watan Party has rejected the decision of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to delay the census and announced that all possible steps, including all-party conference and protest drive, will be taken to pressurise the government if date for census is not announced immediately.

Speaking at a press conference at his party’s central secretariat here on Saturday, QWP chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said that postponement of the census was a sheer injustice with smaller federating units and tantamount to denial of their due rights. He said that the delay in census would not only keep the Pakhtun and Baloch people deprived of their legal rights, but it would also have a very negative impact on the future elections.

“The CCI should stop lame excuses as the smaller provinces know that it is a conspiracy aimed at empowering Punjab to bring its own prime minister and grab their resources,” he lamented.

Sherpao threatens protest drive if new date not announced immediately

Mr Sherpao asked the government to stop injustices with the Pakhtun and Baloch people otherwise people of the smaller provinces would not remain silent on this unjustified decision of CCI.

Referring to constitutional obligations, he said that holding of census was mandatory for distribution of the assembly seats and NFC funds among the provinces. He said that no census could be held during the past 18 years while according to the Constitution it should be held every 10 years regularly, mainly for judicious distribution of financial resources.

The QWP chief said that the decision to hold the sixth census in March 2016 was taken by the CCI in a meeting held last year, but it failed to keep its words. He said that it was not fair that almost half of our national resources were consumed by a single province (Punjab) while the remaining share was distributed among the three provinces. He said that in such a situation the Pakhtuns and Balochis were the main sufferers.

Mr Sherpao also criticised the federal government for raising Kalabagh dam issue and said that the party at the centre wanted to increase its vote bank in Punjab and win the next general elections on the basis of exploiting this issue.

He asked the government to speed up efforts for restoration of peace. “Statements by the Tehreek-i-Taliban leadership are a bit disappointing, but backdoor diplomacy by stakeholders is still going on that will definitely bear fruit,” he hoped. He said that the stakeholders should play role in the region and protect interests of the people. He said that both Pakistan and Afghanistan should remove misunderstandings and jointly work for durable peace.

About the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said that it was a ray of hope for development of the terrorism-hit provinces, but the federal government was avoiding disclosing details of this project. He said that it was duty of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to keep in view the sufferings of Pakhtuns and Baloch people due to terrorism and give them a major share in the development schemes of CPEC.

Mr Sherpao said that the government should implement all the 20 points of the National Action Plan. He said that the federal and provincial governments should work jointly for bringing foreign investment to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to strengthen its economy.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2016