Sidelined: Public’s mandate stolen, alleges Sherpao

Says QWP will participate in PML-Ns’ all parties conference

PESHAWAR: With the party not securing any seats — either in the national nor the provincial assemblies — per the unofficial results released thus far, the QWP chief has alleged that the mandate of the people had been stolen.

In a statement released on Thursday, Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Sherpao accused the caretaker government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of miserably failing to hold free and fair elections. He continued that the electoral process was manipulated and that certain political parties had been favoured.

Sherpao regretted that Pashtuns, who were already the victims of bullets, had now been deprived of representation through the ballot.

He said that the Afghan issue and the Pashtuns would be badly hit as there were apprehensions that inexperienced people would be unable to tackle the situation.

However, he said that QWP would save the Pashtuns from political marginalisation

He deplored that the Pashtun leadership had been sidelined with the party devoid of any representation in the parliament. He feared that his party could no longer play its vital and democratic role for their rights.

Sherpao said that the QWP will participate in the all parties conference (APC), which has been called in Islamabad on Friday. He said PML-N President Shahbaz Shareef had called him and had invited the QWP to participate in the APC.

Sherpao disclosed that he had accepted the invitation.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2018.