CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Tuesday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was intentionally building its own narrative on terrorism.

Addressing a public gathering held in Sherpao village here to mark the 51th death anniversary of his elder brother, Hayat Mohammad Khan Sherpao, the QWP leader said that terrorism was the biggest challenge facing the country.

He said that 2025 was the deadliest in history in terms of casualties for security forces and law-enforcement personnel, but the PTI’s provincial government was ignoring the issue of terrorism.

Mr Sherpao also complained that there was a lack of a unified narrative on the issue and it was one of the main reasons hampering efforts to eradicate terrorism.

QWP leader says all state organs should be on same page to defeat terrorism

“All state organs should be on the same page to defeat terrorists and restore durable peace,” he said.

The QWP leader said the PTI had no right to stay in government if it didn’t prioritise the issues facing the province.

He said it was the primary responsibility of the provincial government to maintain law and order and the federal government should give a helping hand to the province.

Mr Sherpao also condemned the recent suicide attack in Islamabad.

He said the people of the remote Tirah valley, including women, children and the elderly, went through inconvenience in the harsh winter but the provincial government remained indifferent to their sufferings and made no arrangements which further antagonised the local population.

“The PTI government politicised this issue. The displaced families should be sent home with dignity. The government did not provide them with any relief,” he said.

Advocating for the implementation of the China model for development, he said the people in the country were getting frustrated with each passing day.

He explained that the China model envisaged the development of underdeveloped areas whereas the exact reverse of this was taking place in Pakistan, where Punjab was getting preferential treatment. “As a result, the poor are bearing the brunt,” he said.

On PTI’s recent strike, he commented that it was a failed attempt and the ruling party could not drum up public support for the protest. He said staging protests and sit-ins did not serve any purpose and instead ignored the issues facing the people.

The QWP leader said that PTI would be unable to secure the release of their incarcerated leader through street agitation.

He also advised the political forces to counter the PTI politically. He said PTI had been ruling KP for the third straight term, but it miserably failed to deliver on its pledges.

Mr Sherpao warned against undoing the 18th Amendment to reduce the shares of the provinces under the National Finance Commission award, saying that his party would resist the proposed 28th Amendment with full force.

The QWP leader said corruption had become institutionalised in KP.

“We cannot sustain if the poor governance and mismanagement continue unabated. There must be an end to this,” he said.

Focusing on Afghanistan, he recalled that the Afghan Taliban had pledged under the Doha Agreement that the Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism against others. He, however, said the interim Afghan government had done practically nothing to honour that pledge.

Mr Sherpao called for reopening the Torkham border to facilitate the movement of the people who wanted to seek medical treatment in Pakistan.

Paying tribute to ‘Shaheed-i-Watan’, he recalled that Hayat Sherpao worked against all odds and helped the peasants, farmers and the people from the downtrodden segments of the society to challenge the powers of the status quo.

“Hayat Sherpaowas a challenger to the status quo forces,” he said, urging the youth to draw inspiration from the struggle and sacrifices of the martyred leader.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2026