CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said talks with Afghanistan should be held under all circumstances.

He was talking to journalists at an event organised by Arbab Naseemullah here on Saturday. QWP provincial chairman Sikandar Sherpao, Qaiser Jamal Hashtangray and other leaders of the party were also present on the occasion.

Mr Sherpao said that targeting militants was necessary but the door for negotiations should always remain open. He said that talks with Afghanistan should be held immediately and under all circumstances.

He said that the responsibility for situation in Kurram rested with the federal government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, which focused more on long marches and sits-in instead of addressing issues in the tribal district.

The QWP chief said that trail of civilians in military courts was unjust. He said that 26th Amendment affected the dignity of courts in the country. He added that American policy could be tailored for a single individual and was not designed for that purpose.

He said that Pashtun nation had made countless sacrifices for progress and stability of the country, but law and order situation in the province was worsening with each passing day, which reflected the provincial government’s failure.

Mr Sherpao said that federal government, along with all four provinces, should take immediate steps to assist the stranded people in Kurram tribal district, who had been trapped in their area for the last over two months.

He said that Kurram was not just the concern of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. He added all the four provinces and federal government must cooperate with the suffering people of Kurram.

Regarding the US ban on Pakistan’s missile programme, he called the sanctions unjustified and urged the government to take a firm position in that regard. About US envoy’s demand for the release of Imran Khan, he said that the demand had not been made officially and emphasised that US policy could not be shaped for an individual.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2024