PESHAWAR: During the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Peace Jirga at the provincial assembly, a public meeting of leaders and elders to discuss the pressing issues of the region, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, the leader of the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), in his address to the assembly, declared that his party was ready to provide unconditional assistance to the provincial government in the restoration of peace as well as in the advocacy of provincial rights for the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The leader of the opposition in the provincial assembly lamented the fact that the public fear of terrorism and military operations had become the dominant theme in their lives. He also remarked that it seemed that the public was terrorized by the violence causing them to lose their lives and that at the same time they were scared of the kinds of operations that would be used to fight terrorists.
“Terrorists today are masters in spreading terror among people and they are dying of fear from the operations also,” said Sherpao.
He went on to say that the Jirga was initially called for peace and dialogue and that the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a long list of problems including the struggle for its provincial rights. In addition to it, he stated that peace is the foundation of development in the area.
Sherpao remarked, “Development cannot start without peace. We all want peace in this province and peace can only be achieved when the people’s issues are solved.”
The politician voiced his opinion that government authority was not properly maintained in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also mentioned that most people in the province were optimistic about the achievement of peace through talks devoid of military operations. While he admitted that several rounds of talks had been held, he claimed that they had not yielded any lasting solutions.
“Negotiations have been held at different levels, but outcomes have always been negative,” he explained. “The only time we will make progress is when we come up with a single narrative for peace.”
Sherpao insisted that it was equally important for the provincial government as well as for the establishment that they worked together in devising this narrative. He further warned the audience that the National Action Plan (NAP), a plan initially introduced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, was still at the halfway stage in its implementation.
When he was talking about Afghanistan, Sherpao maintained that at every level diplomatic talks with Afghanistan had failed, however, he was convinced that the only way to solve the problems with Afghanistan was through negotiations. He also expressed his indebtedness to the police forces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their sacrifices and repeated the point that they should be strengthened during the current security situation.
“Our police force has been put through the worst, and they have made sacrifies. It is really important to give them more power so that they can handle any new challenges,”
In finishing his speech, Sherpao stressed the importance of a provincial action plan in dealing with security problems, besides increasing intelligence-sharing and the federal and provincial governments working together better. He confirmed again that his party would always support the government in the pursuit of peace and safeguarding provincial rights.
“If the government is able to maintain peace, then we will be the first to support them. We will also do our best in ensuring our people’s rights,” Sherpao ended.
ALSO READ: Shafiullah Jan: Peace Jirga’s success a major achievement for provincial government
By emphasizing issues such as unity, dialogue, and cooperation at all levels, the leader of the QWP in his speech, pointed out that these were essentials in solving the problems not only of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government but also of its citizens.
