PESHAWAR, July 5: Water and Power and Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Saturday said the MMA’s protest against the Peshawar Election Tribunal verdict was uncalled-for and asked the alliance to seek legal remedy from the Supreme Court instead.

Talking to reporters at the Peshawar High Court Bar Association, he said the election of Mufti Ibrar from NA-14 Kohat was challenged by losing candidate Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani soon after the announcement of the election result. Therefore, he maintained, the matter was purely legal and the ET verdict was not politically motivated.

In reply to a question why the MMA candidates’s sanad had not been challenged at the time of the submission of nomination papers, Mr Sherpao said any objection might have been overruled by the returning officer.

Condemning the Quetta carnage, the minister urged the Ulema to thoroughly deliberate upon sectarianism so that a strong line of action could be evolved to curb the evil.

Earlier, the minister presented a cheque for Rs100,000 to the president of the Peshawar Bar Association.

DELEGATION: A delegation of the residents of Ghari Meera in Haripur called on the minister at the people’s house.

Led by Kundi Union Council Nazim Nasir Iqbal, the delegation apprised the minister about their problems concerning the transit facility through the Tarbella Dam area and provision of potable water to Ghari Mera and other villages in the vicinity of the dam.

Mr Sherpao assured the delegation that all their genuine problems would be addressed on a priority basis.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...