PTI slammed for supporting Kalabagh dam project

PESHAWAR: The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) has flayed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for allegedly supporting the Kalabagh dam project and the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill, terming both as detrimental to the interests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A press release said that the QWP provincial chief Sikandar Sherpao made these remarks while chairing a meeting of his party leaders at Watan Kor, Peshawar. QWP leaders, including Secretary Information Tariq Ahmad Khan, Joint Secretary Hashim Raza Advocate, provincial General Secretary Dr Farooq Afzal, and provincial Secretary Information Shakeel Waheedullah Khan, were in attendance.

The meeting focused on the revival of what the party described as “dead issues” such as the Kalabagh dam and the controversial legislation on mineral resources.Sikandar Sherpao warned that these moves could undermine the constitutional rights and autonomy of the province.

He criticised Senator Humayun Mohmand’s recent support for the Kalabagh dam project, urging him to recall that all three provincial assemblies, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had unanimously passed resolutions opposing the project.

Reviving this issue, he said, was tantamount to disrespecting the will of the federating units.Sikandar Sherpao denounced the role of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati for reportedly consulting PTI’s founder before moving forward with decisions on the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill.

Tying provincial interests to a single individual, the QWP said, was unacceptable.Reiterating its stance, he said the QWP had already rejected the proposed Mines and Minerals Bill. He warned that if the bill was passed by the provincial assembly, the party would not only challenge it in court but would also launch a protest on all fronts, declaring it a “malicious attempt” to deprive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of its mineral resources.The QWP affirmed its resolve to defend the province’s rights and said it would resist any attempt to compromise its autonomy.