PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said Pakhtuns are passing through a very difficult time of their history as they are considered terrorists by the international community despite the fact that they are progressive and a peace-loving nation.

He said this at the concluding session of an international conference on ‘The Question of Pakhtun Identity in the Pak-Afghan Region: Challenges and Prospects’ at the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan on Friday.

The event was jointly organised by the AWKU and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Peshawar.

Sherpao asks Islamabad, Kabul to jointly fight terrorism at grassroots

The QWP chairman said no one could deny that Pakhtuns living on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border were facing the menace of extremism and terrorism, which had not only damaged their cultural values but also devastated the entire infrastructure of the region.

“That is the reason behind the growing sense of deprivation and despair among Pakhtuns,” he said.

Mr. Sherpao said in order to cope up with the current situation, Pakistan should establish friendly and cordial relations with neighbouring countries, especially Afghanistan.

“The Pakhtuns of both Pakistan and Afghanistan are the victims of terrorism. It is time for Islamabad and Kabul to formulate a joint strategy to fight it at grassroots level. Both the states should have taken the Pakhtun leadership on board before formulation of policies regarding restoration of peace and development in Pakhtun belt,” he said.

The QWP chief said his party had always advocated for better government-to-government, establishment-to-establishment and people-to-people contacts between Islamabad and Kabul in order to help minimise bilateral trust deficit.

He said the peace jirga consisting of Pakhtun leaders from both sides of the border was a ray of hope for the normalisation of bilateral relations but unfortunately, the process was not given a chance to flourish.

Mr. Sherpao said Pakhtuns were had rendered huge sacrifices to defend their land and therefore, it was the time for the government to take measures and give due share in the CPEC and other mega development project to the war-affected areas of KP and Fata to end their grievances.

“The government should also establish a trust for the heirs of the victims of terrorism,” he said.

The QWP chairman said Pakhtuns were the second largest nation by population in the country, which had been fragmented into several administrative units.

He said Fata should be merged with KP.

“Pakhtuns are not terrorists and instead, they’re victims of terrorism. The international community should come forward and assist them morally, socially and financially,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2016