Sherpao urges govt to fight poverty

CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Friday urged the government to take concrete steps to fight poverty and provide relief to the poor people amid soaring inflation.

Addressing a workers’ convention in provincial assembly constituency PK-62 Tangi, he said inflation had made life miserable for the underprivileged.Citing a recent World Bank report on poverty, Sherpao said the government’s claims of economic improvement were contrary to ground realities. He noted that poverty in the country had risen by seven percent, while the ratio stood at 29.5 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the poor were struggling to feed their children, while millions had slipped below the poverty line in recent years due to flawed economic policies. He urged the federal and provincial governments to rise above political differences and work jointly to deliver relief to the people.

Expressing concern over the resurgence of terrorism, the QWP leader held the government responsibility for maintaining law and order, adding that the people felt insecure and abandoned.

Sherpao criticized the KP government for its slow response to rehabilitate those affected by recent flash floods, saying it lacked a proper strategy to ease their suffering.He accused the provincial government of bad governance, noting that rampant corruption and financial scams had become an order of the day.

He opposed the proposed privatization of government schools, stressing that providing basic education was the responsibility of the state.Privatization, he said, would worsen the situation as countless children were already out of school and deprived of education.