Sherpao wants Pak strategy to deal with Afghan civil war fallout

PESHAWAR: Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Sunday asked the government to come up with a clear-cut policy to deal with the fallout from the civil war in the neighbouring country.

Speaking at a press conference at Watan Kor, headquarters of QWP, he said war was not the solution to any issue, therefore talks should be held to bring an end to hostilities in Afghanistan.

On the occasion, Fahim Zaidi of the Pakistan People’s Party announced joining the QWP along with his family members and supporters. Workers of Jamaat-e-Islami led by Salman Khan also joined the QWP.

Aftab Sherpao said that Pakistan would suffer from the spillover of violence, urging the government to evolve a strategy to cope with the situation. “The security situation has started worsening in the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” he added.

Had the National Action Plan been implemented in letter and spirit, the situation would have been much better, he believed. Aftab Sherpao said Pakistan should establish camps for the refugees near the Pak-Afghan border. He also called for efforts to end the trust-deficit between Kabul and Islamabad.

The QWP leader said both the countries should ensure that their soil was not used against each other. He deplored that Pakistan was not invited to the recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss rising violence in Afghanistan.

Aftab Sherpao said that besides Pakistan, China and Russia should also play a role in ending violence in Afghanistan. Efforts should be made to stop the bloodshed, he said, adding that the US should have engaged the Afghan government while holding talks with the Taliban.

“It is unfortunate that the US bypassed the democratically elected Afghan government while holding negotiations with the Taliban,” he deplored, saying that war intensified in Afghanistan after the Doha agreement.

Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, he said the rulers were taking dictates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and they had no sympathy for the poor and the salaried-class.

“The rulers are busy harassing the opposition through fake cases,” he said. The QWP chief said that Pakistan saw the highest inflation in the last three years due to the flawed policies of the rulers. He said the prices of the petroleum products and electricity were raised at the behest of the IMF.

Aftab Sherpao said though Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produced surplus electricity, its residents faced prolonged loadshedding. He said it was beyond comprehension that gas loadshedding was being carried out in the summer.

He also condemned the desecration of a temple in Rahim Yar Khan and demanded the government to bring the accused to justice The QWP chief expressed concern over the rising incidents of violence against women in the country and called for legislation to punish the perpetrators.