PESHAWAR, Aug 5: A former NWFP chief minister and chief of his own faction of PPP Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has underlined the need for granting maximum autonomy to the federating units in the larger interest of the federation of Pakistan.

Speaking at a public meeting at Katlang, Mardan on Sunday, he said centre should transfer its resources to the federating units so that Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan as autonomous units could make better decisions about their future.

Expressing his concern over the increase in electricity rates and POL prices, he said in the last 30 months the government had made 30 times increase into the power charges and 36 times in POL prices. Unprecedented increase had also been made in the rates of flour, ghee and sugar, he added.

He said: “The soaring prices show that human beings have become inexpensive as compared to the consumer goods”.

He asked the government to take concrete measures for brining prices at a stable position so that common man could be provided with relief. The NWFP produced tobacco, beet and sugarcane, but the government had not increased their prices for the last three years, he added.

Mr Sherpao called upon the central government to hand over all income of electricity to NWFP and make an increase into the rates of tobacco, beet and sugarcane.

The division among Pakhtoons had been a main source of their backwardness, now it had become imperative for Pakhtoons of NWFP and Balochistan to launch a combined struggle for their collective rights, he added.

He demanded of the government to replace the name of province with the Pakhtunkhawa and make it part of constitutional package. Mr Sherpao also demanded an immediate halt to the US-led bombing in Afghanistan.

Mr Sherpao urged all the political parties to pave way for the Oct elections so that government should hold elections in time.