CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao on Thursday said that holding a provincial assembly session in the cricket ground was a waste of public resources and had turned the assembly into a spectacle.

During a news conference here, Mr Sikandar said that the provincial government had failed to address the basic problems faced by the people and was focusing on staging protests instead of serving the people.

On the occasion, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leader and former tehsil candidate Haroon Khan announced joining the QWP along with his family and supporters.

Mr Sikandar complained that unemployment was on the rise and the law and order was worsening day by day, while around five million children were out-of-school, questioning the PTI government’s performance.

He said that the government lacked an understanding of issues faced by the province.

“Whenever it came to raising an effective voice for the rights of our province, the PTI government miserably failed to do so, while unnecessary steps are being taken for political point-scoring,” he said.

The QWP leader said people were deprived of basic facilities such as employment, health and education, and rising poverty and unemployment had pushed the public into severe mental stress.

Commenting on regional and global affairs, he termed the growing tensions between United States and Iran posed a threat to regional peace, saying that the repercussions of the conflict could extend beyond the Middle East.

Mr Sikandar appreciated Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts and stressed that these should be intensified and made more effective to ensure lasting peace and to prevent any major conflict in the region.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026