ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: Former labour minister Omar Asghar Khan said on Monday that he had decided to join the Qaumi Jamhoori Party, formed recently with the merger of Tehreek-i-Istiqlal, National Workers Party and the Social and Political Workers Group.

Mr Khan said he would attend the first council meeting of the Qaumi Jamhoori Party on December 27-28 in Lahore.

The QJP, he said, would lead people’s struggle to ensure that Quaid-i-Azam’s vision of Pakistan was made a reality.

Ensuring equal rights of citizenship and protection of people’s social, economic and political rights, establishing regional peace and enabling the political participation of women, minorities and other marginalized groups are some of the guiding principles he will continue to struggle for from the QJP platform, he said.

Characterized by patronage, traditional mainstream politics has failed to effectively represent the middle and disadvantaged classes, said Mr Khan.

He added that their needs remained unmet and their aspirations were yet to be achieved. He said that there was growing consciousness that a new kind of politics was needed to enable ordinary citizens’ to shape policies that affect their lives.

The establishment of the QJP was a response to this consciousness, he said.

Mr Khan said that the commitment to give a political voice to ordinary citizens guided his decisions and actions during his 26-month tenure as federal minister.

Whether it is the issue of the fixation of minimum wages for workers, increasing the social security cover of workers and old age benefit scheme, increasing the wage limit in companies profit, for workers, equal pay for equal work for male and female workers, approval of the action plan on elimination of bonded labour, approval of the policy on kutcha abadis, increase in reserved seats for workers, peasants and women in the devolution plan and approval of the environmental action plan, all these measures are aimed at protecting the rights of the disadvantaged, and creating the conditions for sustainable development.

As in the past, he said, he would continue to work for the right of disadvantaged groups and was confident that the Qaumi Jamhoori Party would offer the people an alternative political platform to traditional politics.