Presidential reference: SC verdict justifies demanding president’s resignation: QWP

BANNU: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao on Saturday said the judgement of the Supreme Court about the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa provided a justification to the pleas demanding resignation of the president. Addressing a public gathering here in connection with the 8th Foundation Day of the party, he said the apex court had ruled that the presidential reference was filed in total disregard for the law.

“This verdict has exonerated Justice Qazi Faez Isa from the charges levelled against him,” he maintained, adding the Supreme Court quashed the reference as it was based on mala fide intent. Commenting on the decision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placing Pakistan on its ‘grey list’ until February 2021, Sikandar Sherpao said it was failure of the country’s foreign policy. He maintained the government was unable take measures to move the country out of the ‘grey list’ of the FATF, which is the global watchdog to combat money laundering and terror financing. Come down hard on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, he said the PTI leaders had pledged to carry out uplift projects in the hitherto underdeveloped parts of the province, but they reneged on all the promises. He believed that the government did nothing for the development of the southern districts of the province. He urged the government to launch uplift schemes in the southern belt for the benefit of the local people.

He asserted law and order was deteriorating in the southern belt while the residents of the merged districts were also feeling dejected over the unfulfilled pledges. The QWP leader said the government failed to honour the pledges with regard to the development of the merged districts. Sikandar Sherpao said price-hike was driving the people to despondency and causing resentment among them. “The people now rue the day when they voted for the PTI,” he remarked.

QWP provincial vice-chairman and former Member Provincial Assembly Adnan Wazir and party’s district head Malik Shah Karam Khan, QWP Karak district head Ghufran Khattak also addressed the gathering, which was attended by a large number of party workers.