CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Wednesday condemned the malicious social media campaign against the judges of the Supreme Court.

Addressing a gathering in Mandani area here, he said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lost its electoral symbol ‘bat’ due to its own follies. He said that PTI founding chairman Imran Khan was responsible for the situation his party was facing.

He said the recent decision of the Supreme Court upholding the ruling of the Election Commission of Pakistan about the intra-party election of PTI was based on merit and in accordance with the law. However, he expressed resentment over the launch of a smear campaign against the judiciary.

He said the country was already facing a host of issues and it could not afford confrontation and unrest.

Aftab Sherpao said that some elements were out to create disturbance for their vested interests.

The QWP leader said that holding a free, fair and transparent election was the only way to steer the country towards economic and political stability.

He maintained that the country was facing the issue of law and order, poverty, unemployment and inflation, so concerted efforts were needed to address these challenges. However, he hoped that the 2024 general election would bring stability to the country.

He said the political leadership would have to work hard to pay off the loans and provide relief to the have-nots.

He said during the election campaign the politicians should avoid making promises, which were difficult to honour.

He said the nation should be told the truth as the prevailing difficult period was also a test for them. He said the people should use their right to vote with great care and think about the country and their future.

Commenting on the problems facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Aftab Sherpao said KP and its merged districts had been overlooked in the past.

He said that KP was not getting its due share in resources.

The QWP leader said the merged areas were also facing shortage of funds and the promises made at the time of merger remained unfulfilled.

He said the province was facing gas and electricity loadshedding. He asked the federal government to give KP its arrears of the net hydel profit and gas royalty.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024