PESHAWAR - The 42nd anniversary of late Hayat Muhammad Khan Sherpao was held in Sherpao village of Charsadda on Saturday.
Party workers from all over the province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) gathered to pay tribute to the leader who sacrificed his life fighting for the rights of the Pakhtun nation.
In his address, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao stressed the need to follow the footsteps of the founding members. He criticised all those who were conspiring to retrograde the development and unification of Pakhtun nation.
The chairman univocally criticised the attempts to sabotage the merger of Fata with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). He stated that the Pakhtun nation has rendered unmatchable sacrifices for the protection of the country but are being deprived of any prospects of a developed future.
He said that for the first time in the history, sincere attempts were made to merge Fata with KP. However, the enemies of Pakhtuns are trying to damage the merger process, he said. QWP will oppose all such attempts that are intended to divide the Pakhtun nation, he added.
The chairman clarified that such steps will promote consternation, further weakening the federation. By uniting the Pakhtuns of KP and Fata, the province will become the second largest in the country, he said. This is not acceptable to the enemies of Pakhtuns, he added.
Aftab stated that all the stakeholders are in favour of the integration but the merger is being delayed gratuitously in order to maintain the hegemony of Punjab. He further added that Pakistan being a federation of different nations, is being governed by a single nationality which has weakened the unity of the country.
Furthermore, the resources of the provinces are also being exploited and Punjab is being developed at the cost of smaller provinces.
Stressing on the provincial autonomy, he stated that despite the 18th constitutional amendment, the provinces are still not autonomous and are not being given control of their natural resources. KP, being the largest producer of natural gas, oil and cheapest electricity is being used to run Punjab, whereas, KP is facing uncontrolled loadshedding and shortage of energy for industrial development, he added.
The party chairman also stressed on the need of holding an unbiased census. Efforts are underway to sabotage the credibility of census in which the counting of data from KP will be held in Islamabad, whereas, the counting of data from Punjab will be held in Lahore and that of Sindh will be held in Karachi, he added.
Aftab clarified that QWP will never accept rigging the rights of the Pakhtun nation and will launch mass protests if attempts were made to sabotage the credibility of the census.
While presenting his stance on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, he stated that the foes of Pakhtuns are also attempting to single out KP from the developmental projects associated with the corridor. He clarified that the federal government is not upgrading the transmission lines in KP which is necessary to put an end to loadshedding in the province.
This way the province is being deprived of any investment opportunities, whereas, the federal government is making all efforts to end loadshedding in Punjab, he said.
The chairman also demanded that the construction of Munda Dam and Chashma Bank Canal should also be made part of the CPEC project. “Instead of impeding the development of Pakhtuns, attempts should be made to provide them with the prospects for development and they will prove to be the greatest contributors, not only in the development of Pakistan but also the entire region,” he added.
Aftab appealed to the federal government to revise its foreign policy keeping in view the international developments in Europe and America. He stated that internationally, the primary focus is being laid on the development of economies, whereas, strategic interests are being dealt at secondary level.
Sincere efforts should be made to review the foreign policy so that the country may be able to play its role in international politics effectively, he added.