QWP’s Foundation Day: Aftab Sherpao says struggle launched to oust PTI rulers

PESHAWAR: Asserting that the last general election was massively rigged, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Saturday said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had launched the struggle to rid the country of the selected rulers.

Addressing a gathering here in connection with the 8th Foundation Day of the party, the QWP head said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had added to the miseries of the have-nots. “The people are fed up with this government.

The backbreaking inflation coupled with unemployment has pushed the people to the wall,” he remarked. Maintaining that the government did not have the ability to revive the economy, he said that printing the currency notes in bulk had led to inflation.

He pointed out that the prices of sugar, flour and pulses had registered a sharp increase in recent weeks, but the government was least bothered to mitigate sufferings of the poor people.

“It is ironic after two and a half years the prime minister has announced that he will take steps to bring the prices down,” he said.

Criticising the government for asking the ‘Tiger Force’ to help check the prices of the daily use items, Aftab Sherpao said it was the responsibility of the district administration to have a check on the prices of the daily use commodities.

He questioned the use of ‘Tiger Force’ to visit markets for checking the prices of food items, saying the volunteers had no legal status to do so and the move would cause resentment among the business community. He expressed concern over raising the prices of the medicines and life-saving drugs, adding the government wanted to snatch the “right to life” from the poor people.

Complaining about selective accountability, he said the reluctance of the National Accountability Bureau to probe irregularities in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project had strengthened the impression that the anti-graft watchdog was being used against the opposition politicians only. The QWP leader said the government had mortgaged the economy with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He said the government was acting on the diktats of the IMF.

Turning to the merged districts, he said the government had reneged on its pledges with regard to the ex-Fata, adding the indifferent attitude of the rulers was causing resentment among the people. “The poor service delivery and the lack of a clear-cut policy to develop the merged districts are the factors that are creating despondency among the local population,” he argued. About the attack on the Nato supply containers in the Khyber tribal district, he said the law and order was worsening in the merged districts.

He feared that the situation could get a turn for the worse if the government did not take corrective measures. He condemned the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year old case and demanded his immediate release.