CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Saturday condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and called upon the Muslim Ummah to raise voice against this blasphemous act at all forums.

Addressing a large gathering in Sherpao Tangi tehsil here, he said as such sacrilegious acts were also committed in the past the Muslim countries should come up with a strategy to counter such blasphemous acts in the future.

He welcomed the IMF agreement, which was reached recently, and said it would help stabilise the Pakistani economy. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif deserved the credit for ‘working hard’ to secure the deal, adding that those who had opposed it were now trying to claim credit for it.

Mr Sherpao said people were braving the rising inflation due to the ‘follies’ of the previous PTI government. He demanded an inquiry into the May 9 incidents to bring the perpetrators and masterminds to justice.

Criticising the nine-year performance of the PTI provincial government, he said due to nepotism and widespread corruption in jobs, not only the institutions were destroyed, but the debt of the province increased by billions of rupees.

He expressed concern over the prolonged loadshedding and said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produced surplus power but unfortunately its residents were facing prolonged power cuts.

KILLED: One person was killed and five others, including three women, were seriously injured over a land dispute in Mandani police station limits here on Saturday.

A complainant, Hazrat Shah, got registered a case, stating he along with his son, Masood Shah, was standing outside the house of Jan Mohammad, when Sattar, Arshad and Yusuf Shah, residents of Bajauro Kalay, came there and opened fire, killing his son on the spot, while he escaped unhurt. He said later the accused entered the house of Jan Mohammad and started firing at the inmates, injuring Johar Shah, his wife and daughter Bismeen; Seema, daughter of Ibrahim Shah, and Tahir Zaman.

The police said the injured were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Tangi.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2023