PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has expressed concern over the growing sense of deprivation among the people of tribal districts owing to delay in implementation of Fata reforms and stressed the need for expediting work on the merger process to start development.

He expressed these views on Sunday while talking to mediapersons at Khana-i-Farhang Iran in Peshawar where a Pashto mushaira was arranged by Syed Sabir Shah Sabir. The mushaira was titled “Da Sabir Da Ranra Malgari”.

The QWP chief urged the government to release the funds for staring development projects in the tribal districts and establishing the judicial and police infrastructure to provide justice to the people and maintain law and order.

He said that the government was dragging its feet on establishing regular courts and extending policing system to the merged districts.

About the ongoing peace talks between Taliban and the US, he said that this opportunity must not be wasted to bring stability to Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan would benefit from the restoration of peace in Afghanistan in terms of having access to the Central Asian Republics for trade and energy projects.

Mr Sherpao said that the credit for bringing Taliban to the negotiating table went to the military establishment.

About the PTI government’s economic policies, he said that it was the chief of the army staff who helped the government in securing the financial assistance from China and Saudi Arabia.

He said that his party had always worked for the promotion of Pashto language and literature. He appreciated the role of the literati and poets who despite financial problems contributed to the promotion of Pashto language and literature. He promised that his party would spare no efforts to work for the welfare of local poets and intellectuals.

Meanwhile, Mr Sherpao also criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government for its plan to constitute another Public Accounts Committee in the National Assembly. He said the move would undermine the democratic setup in the country and would spoil atmosphere of the National Assembly.

“It seems the government does not want to run the affairs of National Assembly in a smooth way,” he said, adding that the government had created deadlock on every issue. He said that the bid to constitute another Public Accounts Committee was aimed at dividing the opposition parties. He said that the National Assembly never had two public accounts committees, arguing that the attempt was targeted at countering the role of PAC chairman Shahbaz Sharif.

The QWP leader claimed that the people had become disenchanted with the rulers who reached the power corridors through the slogan of ‘change’.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2019