PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Sunday accused the government of sharing wrong statistics about the people infected by coronavirus and added that efforts were being made to hide incompetence of the relevant departments.

Addressing a meeting at his party secretariat here, the QWP chairman said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was unable to serve the masses while it had further confused the people with smart lockdowns.

According to a statement, Mr Sherpao said the situation would have been under control had the government taken timely steps when the spread of virus was first reported in China.

He said that the number of infected people was increasing day by day, but there were no facilities at the hospitals.

Besides, he said that the government had promised to provide Rs100 billion annually to the merged districts for 10 years, but the promise could not be materialised.

He said the provinces had also pledged to provide three per cent of the National Finance Commission award for the uplift of merged districts, but the commitment was yet to be honoured.

“The non-provision of the funds has created a sense of deprivation among the residents of the tribal districts, who are now having second thoughts about the merger,” he said.

Mr Sherpao said that the PTI leaders introduced indecency in politics as they frequently used derogatory words for the members of the opposition.

Commenting on the prevailing political situation in the country, he said that his party would attend the upcoming all-party conference being convened by the opposition.

The QWP leader reiterated his party’s resolve that the government would not be allowed to reverse the 18th Amendment.

He recalled that the amendment was made after thorough consultation and hard work.

He said that the National Finance Commission award was a constitutional body that ensured the judicious distribution of resources among the provinces. He warned the government against slashing share of the provinces, saying that it would weaken the federation.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2020