Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said on Saturday the menace of terrorism has badly damaged the Pakhtun belt and should be addressed urgently.
Addressing a gathering in connection with his party’s third foundation day at Sarhad Gardens, Sherpao said the government should focus on implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) to establish the writ of the state.
He noted that the Pakhtun population was passing through a difficult phase, and added that the policies of the federal government were increasing a sense of deprivation amongst the smaller provinces because of the non-implementation of the 18th Amendment.
Sherpao asked the federal government to take concrete steps to address the issues of the militancy-hit and insurgency-torn provinces without any further delay.
Talking about the Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, he said whatever happened in Afghanistan directly affected the Pakhtuns of Pakistan. “Continued turmoil in Kabul is not in our favor. We must do whatever we can to reduce violence there.”
He observed that the relationship between Kabul and Islamabad could not be improved through just state-level dialogues, adding that the Pakhtuns in Peshawar, Jalalabad, Kandhar and Quetta must also be involved as they have had brotherly links with each other since long.
