Sherpao asks federal govt to give KP due share in CPEC

QWP’s fourth foundation day rally

Resolutions demand Fata merger into KP, holding of census, normal ties with Afghanistan

PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Sherpao has cautioned the federal government against the growing disappointment among the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if due share was not given to the province in the projects to be executed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He was addressing a public meeting at the Ring Road here on Monday to mark the fourth foundation day of his party, which was launched on October 17, 2012 when Sherpao took a more nationalistic line in politics.

Party workers from many areas of KP, Balochistan and Karachi attended the meeting. Tariq Khan was the stage secretary and the workers chanted slogans in support of their leadership. “Why we do not see any tenders or construction of economic zones, transmission and crude oil lines in KP? The federal government is making false statements by claiming that work on the western route is in progress. The federal government is trying to deceive us by constructing a small portion of the route in Mianwali and Attock, but the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cannot be deceived,” Aftab Sherpao declared.

He said the Chinese government has taken steps to link its under-developed areas with the CPEC project whereas the federal government in Pakistan is ignoring the under-developed smaller federating units.

Aftab Sherpao, who twice served as chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and also as federal interior minister, said the prime minister should ensure transparency and come clean about the 46 billion dollars project.

He suggested that meetings with representatives of smaller provinces should be held for taking them into confidence to overcome misgivings.“Concealing the development projects reflects the cynical attitude of the federal government intending to deceive the smaller provinces,” he added.

Aftab Sherpao stated that the inordinate delay in holding census and politicising the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into KP were aimed at maintaining the status quo.He cited examples of the states of Kalat and Bahawalpur that were merged in the past into the larger provinces.

“We demand census and merger of Fata into KP before the next general election in 2018. The Constitution does not have any provision for holding referendum or making Fata a separate province. Changes in Fata can only be carried out by the President after consulting the grand jirga, which has already supported the merger of Fata with KP,” he argued.

He believed that those advocating delay in the merger of Fata with KP were the enemies of Pakhtuns.Turning to the foreign policy, the QWP chief said the government had been unable to establish friendly relations with the neighbouring countries. He maintained that the absence of foreign minister at this crucial juncture was beyond comprehension.

He opined that the federal government lacked statesmanship, strength and the will to represent Pakistan at the international level.“The federal government is incapacitated by its prejudiced and narrow vision to serve Punjab while ignoring the rest of the country,” he alleged. 

“It has failed to plead the case of Pakistan internationally. Gradually we are alienating our friends. We are turning decades of service, hospitality and friendship with Afghan refugee brothers into hostility and India is taking full advantage of the situation. The international organisations are indifferent towards the atrocities of Indian armed forces in Indian-occupied Kashmir that reflects the ineptness of our foreign policy,” he elaborated.

Aftab Sherpao criticised the federal government for the delay in the issuance of National Finance Commission award, which he said, was not only hampering progress but also causing alienation among people of the smaller federating units.He urged the federal government to ensure monthly release of the net hydel profit arrears to KP to ensure smooth financial management in the province.

Senior provincial minister Sikandar Sherpao complained that the Pakhtuns had no control over their resources and this was causing a sense of deprivation. He felt the incompetence and corruption of the previous ANP-led provincial government had damaged the cause of the Pakhtuns.

Provincial minister Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli read out the resolutions passed by the participants of the meeting. Through the resolutions, the QWP demanded due share to KP and other smaller provinces in CPEC projects, advocated normalization of relations with Afghanistan, called for immediate merger of Fata into KP, holding of census and announcement of NFC award, and replacement of the old electricity lines in KP so that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s promise of ending loadshedding in Pakistan in 2018 is also fulfilled in the province.