­Sherpao says cypher was based on lies

CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Saturday said it had been established after former principal secretary Azam Khan’s confession that the cipher conspiracy was based on lies and it was Imran Khan, who had conspired against the nation.

Addressing a gathering of party workers at his native Sherpao village here, he said the time had come to take Imran Khan to task and get him punished for all the wrongdoings, including the Al-Qadir Trust case.

“The investigations, which are taking place, should be taken to the logical conclusion,” Aftab Sherpao demanded, adding that it was the former prime minister, who sabotaged the International Monetary Fund’s programme during his tenure.

The QWP leader said the PTI chairman had launched a tirade against state institutions and the Election Commission of Pakistan after his ouster from power.

“He had constructed his so-called regime change narrative on the basis of the cipher, but it now stands exposed after his former principal secretary Azam Khan’s confession,” he remarked.

Condemning the May 9 mayhem, he said that attacking the army installations was a serious incident, therefore, its masterminds and perpetrators should be punished in accordance with the law of the land.

He said as the National Assembly was going to complete its five-year term in August this year, it must pass the electoral reforms to ensure the holding of the free and fair elections. “Nobody would have reservations about the election results if the National Assembly passes the electoral reforms,” he maintained.

Expressing reservations about the figures of the recently conducted digital census, he said the headcount recorded less increase in the population of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and this would have serious economic consequences for the province.

Asking the caretaker provincial setup to take up this issue at the upcoming meeting of the Council of Common Interests, Aftab Sherpao said the KP government must not accept the census data as this would amount to compromising on the rights of the province.

“If this wrong data was accepted, this would affect all the indicators and allocations of funds under the National Finance Commission award would also see a reduction.

He said the law and order had started deteriorating in KP, asking the government to take urgent steps to normalise the situation.

“The police and other law-enforcement agencies as well as the people would get disappointed if the security situation was not improved,” he noted with concern.

He said the IMF’s bailout package had not produced the desired results as the dollar rate did not witness any considerable decrease while inflation was skyrocketing with each passing day.

He said the prices of the daily use items, including wheat flour, had gone up in recent weeks with no check from the authorities concerned. Asking the government to activate the price control mechanism, he called for taking steps to provide relief to the have-nots in the face of backbreaking inflation.

The QWP leader said gas and electricity loadshedding had made life miserable for the people. He said KP produced surplus electricity but its residents still faced prolonged hours of power outages. He said power cuts had compelled the people to stage protests across the province.