PESHAWAR, Jan 25: Federal Minister for Water and Power Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Saturday said he had joined hands with the PML-Q to remove misunderstandings and promote harmony between the Centre and provinces.

Speaking at a general council of his party’s office-bearers and MPAs at the People’s House, the minister said he wanted to bring the province at par with the other developed areas of the country, which led him to join the federal government. However he said: “Whenever my party will ask me to come out of the government, I will resign forthwith.”

Mr Sherpao described his portfolio as very difficult and explained that it involved a number of sensitive tasks, including the issues of net hydel profit, power consumers’ sufferings and spells of loadsheddings. But the minister told the audience he had accepted it as a challenge.

“Before joining the cabinet, I had consulted some of the party leaders, and they allowed me to accept the ministry,” he said.

Mr Sherpao said that during the elections his party had entered into an alliance with the PML-Q and voted for Mir Zafarullah Jamali being an allied party member. “When we enter into the alliance, we never betrayed our friends,” he added.

He welcomed the criticism of his party by all the political rivals and said that it showed his party was a big force, otherwise they would not have opposed it.

“ The criticism is a good thing for us as our opponents consider us a political force. We have contested against an alliance of all the religious organisations and proved our worth,” he added.

Mr Sherpao said that the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) had made an impact on the national politics, but it was not an organisational success. The success was an outcome of a sentimental wave which had many causes. The religious bloc would scatter sooner or later, and at that time PPP-Sherpao would become the only liberal force to lead the masses, he added.

“We know the MMA is riding high after its success, but it will have to come to its senses. The failure of the political parties, anti-US campaign and exploitation of the symbol book had contributed to the success of the MMA, but it lacks any concrete political agenda,” he observed.

The general council of the PPP-S has also passed various resolutions.

Ahmed Hasan Khan, Malik Zafar Awan, Abdul Qayyum advocate, Kamran Khan, MPAs Rifat Akbar Swati and Makhoom Mureed Kazim and others also spoke on the occasion.