CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has welcomed Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s recent visit to Kabul saying it will help normalise Pak-Afghan relations.

Addressing a public meeting in Mohammad Narai area here on Friday, the QWP chief said it was heartening to note that the army chief was warmly received in Kabul and that he met the Afghan president in a friendlier atmosphere.

He said his party welcomed the constructive dialogue between the army chief and Afghan president.

Says visit to help normalise Pak-Afghan ties

“Both countries are facing similar problems, especially terrorism and militancy. If Afghanistan suffers, Islamabad, too, will never have peace and stability,” he said.

Mr Sherpao said Pakistan and Afghanistan should settle all their issues through peaceful means, especially by holding bilateral dialogue.

He also said only an independent and strong parliament could ensure the resolution of the country’s all problems and therefore, efforts should be made to strengthen parliament.

The QWP chairman said any tussle among institutions would undermine the system.

He said it was unfortunate that the federal government had again put the proposed Fata-KP merger on the back burner in an act of a sheer injustice towards the people of tribal areas. Mr Sherpao said unfortunately that Fata people had been suffering due to the opposition of two ruling political parties to the proposed merger of Fata and KP before the next general elections to serve own political gains.

He said if the government considered the people of Fata citizens of the country like their contemporaries living in other parts of the country, then why they were denied equal status in the country.

The QWP chairman said the Frontier Crimes Regulation should be abolished in Fata as it was nothing but a black law for the tribal people.

He said his party had always stood with the tribal people on Fata-KP merger issue and would strive for the early merger and would continue doing so.

Mr Sherpao criticised the government’s response to the outbreak of dengue in the province and said the death toll from the outbreak reached 44.

He said over 1,200 people were affected by the dengue outbreak showing the criminal negligence of the government.

The QWP chief said it was ironic that the chief of PTI instead of ensure prevention and control of dengue had asked the people to wait for the winter season for the end to their misery.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2017