QWP leader vows to protect KP’s rights

PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao on Friday said his party would not compromise on the provincial rights and any bid to amend the Indus River System Authority Act 1992 would be resisted with full force.

In a statement issued from Watan Kor here, he said the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) was established to monitor the distribution of water from the Indus River among the federating units.

Commenting on the media reports about the appointment of the IRSA chairman, he maintained the QWP would not compromise on the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and any bid to amend the Act would be resisted with full force.

He said the QWP would continue its struggle to get the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa enshrined in the 1973 Constitution. He said some elements were conspiring to roll back the 18th Constitutional Amendment in an effort to do away with the provincial autonomy. “We will resist any such bid to undo the 18th Amendment and deprive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of its due rights,” he vowed. He said the 18th Constitutional Amendment was the first step towards achieving provincial autonomy, therefore, it would be protected at all costs. Sikandar Sherpao said that undoing the 18th Constitutional Amendment would create unrest among the residents of the smaller federating units, which was not a good omen for the federation.

The QWP leader said true representatives of the Pakhtuns were made to lose the recent general election in order to keep them out of the Parliament under a conspiracy. “We will not rest until the province gets its due rights,” he vowed, adding the QWP leadership would raise its voice against injustice being meted out to the province. He said the QWP would not let the Pakhtuns down and would continue to raise voice for the rights.