PESHAWAR, March 1: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Friday kicked off his party’s election campaign and said that they would like the opposition parties for seat-to-seat adjustment in coming general election.

“I am announcing the start of my party’s election campaign and we will start receiving applications for party tickets from tomorrow (Saturday),” Mr Sherpao told a press conference here. Other party leaders present on the occasion included Begum Meraj Humayun, MPA Sikandar Sherpao, Haji Ghufran, Malik Nadeem and Usman Khan.

The QWP chief said that the only way to restore sustainable peace in the region was negotiation and the tribal jirga could fulfill this duty with the support of other stakeholders.

He said that the rulers had made lives of the people miserable and now the nation wanted a change. The ruling clique would get no further extension, Mr Sherpao said and asked people to elect honest people in coming election.

Referring to the recent hike in prices of petroleum products, he said that it had proved that the rulers did not want the citizens to live a normal life.

“The soaring prices of daily-use items have already broken the backbone of the poor and the new hike will force masses to come on to streets. The government should immediately withdraw its decision and take steps for restoration of peace,” the QWP chief said.

Criticizing the ruling coalition, he said that it was due to the flawed policies of these parties that people from the ruling clique were joining the opposition parties.

“We participated in the all parties conference where our party’s proposals for restoration of peace were also incorporated. We are ready to extend cooperation to everyone for the sake of peace,” he said.

Mr Sherpao said that his party would soon announce its party’s election manifesto which would prioritise peace, uplift schemes, revival of business activities, health, education, etc.

During its tenure, he said, that the government failed to reconstruct 860 schools destroyed by militants and floods.

Several traders, led by Tahir Shehzad Saraf, also joined the QWP on the occasion.