QWP leader demands compensation for flood victims

Sherpao says neither CM nor ministers visited flood-hit areas to provide relief

PESHAWAR:

Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chairman Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao on Monday asked the government to declare the floodstricken districts in the province ‘calamity-hit’ and compensate the people for losses.

Speaking at a press conference at Watan Kor, he said that the flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains caused human and material losses in various parts of the province. Sherpao said that the floods damaged standing crops, roads, bridges, houses and other infrastructure in Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Chitral and other districts in K-P. However, he said, neither the chief minister nor the provincial ministers bothered to visit the floodhit areas to assess the damage and provide relief to the people.

He expressed grief over the loss of precious lives during the rainrelated incidents and asked the government to announce a comprehensive compensation package for the affectees. Sherpao condemned the use of teargas and batons against peaceful protesters in Dera Ismail Khan. He added that the flow of water was diverted to save certain villages from floods in DI Khan, which prompted the local people to stage a protest.

He further said that three protesters were injured in the use of force. Expressing concern over the worsening law and order in various parts of the province, the QWP leader said that the incidents of targeted killings were taking place in North Waziristan, Khyber, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar and other places in the province. He said that 50 cops from the KP Police were martyred since January this year, urging the government to take steps to prevent targeted killings or else the situation would take a turn for the worse.