PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Saturday said the combined opposition’s decision to file no confidence motion against the Senate chairman was the beginning of a nationwide anti-government movement, which would pave the way for midterm elections in the country.

Addressing a presser at the party’s secretariat here, the QWP leader said during the last one year, the ruling PTI had stressed out the people by increasing the prices of kitchen goods and imposing new taxes.

He said the government had failed to deliver on all fronts, so it had no justification to stay put.

Mr Sherpao said farmers, labourers, traders and industrialists were badly hit by the government’s poor economic policies.

QWP leader says PTI has lost justification to stay put in power over failure to deliver

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan couldn’t stand criticism, so he was victimising political rivals in the name of accountability.

The QWP leader said accountability should be across the board and transparent.

He said the government had made the federal budget in line with the tough conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for the so-called $6 billion bailout package but it won’t be able to achieve the high tax target.

Mr Sherpao said the government had surrendered the country’s sovereignty to the IMF and thus, pushing the country to economic disaster.

“This government is a threat to national security,” he said, adding that the poor people were struggling to provide for families due to the escalating inflation rate.

The QWP leader also complained about the deployment of the Pakistan Army’s personnel in polling stations during the upcoming election for the provincial assembly seats in tribal districts and feared that the entire electoral exercise would become controversial like the July 25, 2019, general polls.

He flayed the arrest of opposition leaders and said the government was trying to impose one-party rule in the country as it wasn’t standing even constructive criticism.

Mr Sherpao said the non-issuance of production orders for the arrested MNAs to attend house proceedings was a violation of the assembly’s rules and regulations.

He condemned the arrest of PML-N leader and MNA Rana Sanaullah in a narcotics case and said pushing the opposition to the wall would expose the government’s anti-opposition mindset.

The QWP leader said the opposition parties would observe July 25 as the black day as the general elections held last year on that day were massively rigged, while Imran Khan was brought to power as a selected premier.

He said though the provincial inspection team had pointed out massive corruption in the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit, Billion Tree Tsunami, Elementary Education Foundation and Malam Jabba projects, no probe had been ordered into it to expose the culpable people.

Mr Sherpao said the opposition parties would continue to play their due role to steer the country out of economic crisis.

He asked PM Imran Khan to stop threatening the opposition leaders saying such conduct won’t make any difference.

A group of lawyers led by Hashim Raza announced the joining of the QWP and said they would work for the downtrodden segments of society.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2019