PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has warned the government against making any move to change the basic structure of the Constitution, saying the opposition parties will fully resist any such attempt.

He demanded fresh polls in the country, saying the last general election was rigged and the rulers were ‘selected’.

Mr Sherpao was speaking at a press conference at his party secretariat here on Saturday. He asked the government to ensure judicious distribution of resources among all the federating units to remove unrest among the people.

Referring to some sources, he said giving administrative control of Karachi to the federal government would be harmful for the country. He said that the port city was part of Sindh and the centre should not meddle into its affairs unnecessarily. He said that registration of an FIR against the civil society members over a protest demonstration in Karachi was against their basic rights.

Earlier, scores of people belonging to Haripur district, led by former PPP MPA Dr Faiza Rasheed and including Malik Munsif Khan, Mudassir Khan, Mahnoor Sadiq and members of the Christian community Amir Chand and Shahnaz Begum, announced joining the QWP.

Sherpao reiterates demand for fresh polls in country

The QWP chief expressed concern over the rising incidents of terrorism and asked the government to implement the National Action Plan to restore durable peace in the country.

Expressing grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in recent rains in the province, he asked the government to give compensation to the affected people and ensure rehabilitation of the displaced families, particularly in Malakand and Hazara divisions.

Expressing his dissatisfaction over performance of the government, he reiterated the demand for holding fresh polls in the country.

Mr Sherpao announced that his party would actively participate in the all-party conference of the opposition on Sept 20. He asked the opposition parties to take a unified stand and save democracy in the country.

He claimed that parliament was losing its utility the way it was being run. He said that the rulers did not have the ability to steer the country out of the prevailing crises. He said that hurdles should not be created in the way of parliament. He said PTI’s two years in power had proved that it lacked the ability to run the country’s affairs.

He also showed concern over rising prices of essential commodities. He said that thought Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was producing more electricity than its consumption its residents were facing prolonged outages. He urged the federal government to release Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s share in national resources, including natural gas and electricity.

Mr Sherpao welcomed the prisoners swap agreement, saying it would pave the way for intra-Afghan dialogue for peace in Afghanistan. He asked the Afghan government and Taliban to set aside past bitterness and jointly work to bring stability to the country. Party’s provincial chairman Sikandar Sherpao was also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2020