Aftab Ahmad Sherpao. PHOTO: INP
Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Tuesday said his party will ensure Pukhtuns are brought under one administrative unit if elected into power.
Addressing a press conference with members of the Pashtun Rabita Committee (PRC) Balochistan at the QWP’s provincial secretariat, Sherpao said Pukhtun nationalist parties – both in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan – have failed to defend the rights of Pukhtuns and establish peace in the region.
The traditional nationalist parties have failed to advocate the cause of the Pukhtuns, which has added to their woes, claimed Sherpao.
He criticised the Awami National Party (ANP) for not taking serious initiatives to restore peace in the region. According to Sherpao, his party would spare no efforts to bring an end to the growing despondency among Pukhtuns, who have been victims of unabated militancy and terrorism.
Commenting on the possibility of a delay in general elections, he said his party will oppose any move aimed at postponing the polls. “Holding free, fair and transparent elections is the only way to steer the country out of its prevailing crises.”
“Unlike the past, people are more politically mature and can make the right decisions to elect those not involved in corruption,” he said. “Law and order must be maintained so the elections can be held in a peaceful environment.”
Later, the QWP and the Pashtun Rabita Committee unveiled a joint resolution seeking the formation of a joint province for all the Pukhtuns living in different parts of Pakistan.
The resolution stated Pakhtuns had been divided into three administrative units in Pakistan and should be united through the creation of a separate province within the federation of Pakistan.
Both parties expressed concern over the target killings of Pukhtuns in various parts of the country and termed it a failure of state institutions.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2013.
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