PESHAWAR, May 14: The Pakistan People’s Party on Friday took a swipe at the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Awami National Party, accusing them of betraying public trust and making hollow slogans instead of solving their problems. The verbal assault came during a gathering in Kausarabad, Charsadda held to welcome the political activists who quit the PPP (Patriots) and ANP and joined the PPP (Sherpao) here on Friday.

The MMA, the six-party religious alliance, was the main target of PPP’s criticism. PPP provincial secretary Sikandar Hayat Sherpao claimed that the MMA had “failed to solve the problems of people” and had misled the people “through hollow slogans”. Mr Sherpao called their attempt to enforce Shariat a failed venture. According to Mr Sherpao, only his party had the honour of bringing huge funds for development schemes from the Centre.

He also deplored the MMA-led government’s lack of interest in the hardships suffered by the people, adding that the provincial government was only paying lip-service to genuine issues. Mr Sherpao cited unemployment, price-rises and lawlessness as real problems that had aggravated the sense of deprivation amongst the people. According to him, people are already wary of the MMA’s policies.

In his opinion the MMA government has treated the opposition MPAs in a step-motherly fashion, counting the denial of funds to the opposition MPAs as an affront to the provincial lawmakers and an injustice to the people living in their constituencies.