Sherpao wants govt to implement Fata reforms in true sense

CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Sunday said that though holding the election in the merged districts was a step in the right direction, the government should take more steps to mainstream the tribal districts in the true sense by implementing the Fata reforms in letter and spirit.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said the government should provide the funds it had committed to the uplift of the merged districts. Political activist Qaiser Jamal Khan resigned from the Awami National Party and announced joining the QWP on the occasion.

Aftab Sherpao said the tribal districts cannot be brought on a par with the rest of the country without undertaking development work. The QWP leader believed the government had added to the woes of the people by introducing more taxes in the budget.

He said the people from all walks of life were reeling from the bad policies of the government. Aftab Sherpao said the government was victimising the opposition leaders in the name of accountability.

He said it had happened for the first time in the parliamentary history of the country that a record number of parliamentarians from the opposition parties had been put behind bars on charges of corruption. Aftab Sherpao said the removal of the Senate chairman through the no-trust motion was the democratic right of the opposition, warning the government of dire consequences if it resorted to any undemocratic step to counter the move.