ABBOTTABAD: Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said the preliminary census results for Fata and KP showed a decrease in populations of the two regions, and warned that this will further increase the people’s sense of deprivation.

He made the remarks while addressing a public meeting here on Friday, where a prominent political figure of Hazara division, Ahmad Nawaz Khan Jadoon, announced joining the QWP.

Mr Sherpao said undermining of the population of Fata was sheer injustice with the tribesmen which would deprive them of the state resources.

He said the QWP had earlier expressed reservations over the census process and recorded its protest when the relevant staff was gathering the data on plain papers with pencils which had made the process controversial.

He said the people of Fata and KP had rendered enormous sacrifices but they had not been given their due rights.

Mr Sherpao said the ruling party in KP could not bring any change in the lives of people. He said PTI chairman Imran Khan had admitted to incompetency and inability of his government in the province.

The QWP chief said the government had not paid attention to the problems of the people in far flung areas of the province, and asked for addressing problems of backward areas.

HOCKEY GROUND BEING DAMAGED: Former Olympic hockey players Fazalur Rehman and Naeem Akhtar, and office-bearers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hockey Association have criticised the deputy commissioner and divisional sports officer for allowing Jamaat-i-Islami to hold a public meeting at the Austro turf-laid hockey stadium in Abbottabad.

JI chief Sirajl Haq is to address a public meeting at the hockey ground today (Saturday). It will be the second JI public gathering on the ground in a week.

They urged Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Chief Secretary Azam Khan to take action against the officers responsible for violation of orders of PTI chief Imran Khan that no sports ground will be used for holding public meetings.

Abbottabad hockey stadium has been the training camp of Pakistan’s national team many a time in the past and national and provincial level hockey tournaments are regularly organised here.

Due to recent heavy rains, a portion of the Austro turf was damaged and instead of repairing it, the district administration and provincial sports department is using it as venue of public meetings which will further damage it.

The hockey players said even movement of players in other than sports shoes was banned as it damaged the Austro turf. They complained that the famous Jinnah Bagh was specified for the public meetings, but it was not being used for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2017