QWP terms financial package insufficient

PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction at the financial package announced by the federal government to cope with the challenge posed by the novel coronavirus and said it should have taken more steps to give maximum relief to the poverty-stricken people.

In a statement released from Watan Kor, he said that the QWP did not want to politicize this issue and the suggestions were meant to help mitigate the sufferings of the common people. However, he said the government should have brought down the prices of the petroleum projects to Rs60 per litre to provide relief to the people. “This is not enough keeping in view the magnitude of this issue,” he remarked.

“The government should have taken the opposition parties into confidence before unveiling the financial package,” he said, adding that the announcement of Rs3,000 monthly to the poor families was even lower than the minimum wage i.e. Rs17,500 fixed by the government.

The QWP leader said the government should have waived off the utility bills as making the people pay the gas and electricity bills in installments would ultimately add up to their financial burden.

Sikandar Sherpao added the government should check hoarding and profiteering as the prices of the daily use items had started going up due to the lockdown. “The daily wagers and the labourers cannot find work due to the lockdown, but on the other prices of the essential commodities, including ghee, flour and sugar, had registered a sharp increase,” he said.