Sherpao wants political forces to strengthen parliament

PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Saturday asked the political forces to join hands to strengthen the parliament and democracy.

Speaking at a meeting of QWP office-bearers from Swat and Buner districts, he expressed concern over the worsening law and order in the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting discussed the prevailing political situation in the country and efforts to strengthen the QWP at the grassroots.

Aftab Sherpao said the country was faced with political instability, which was having a bad impact on the economy. He said economic stability was linked to political stability.

He said the rulers were considering bringing the constitutional package in a bid to save their government, which, he maintained, would be a futile exercise keeping in view the political polarisation.

He said though the government convened the joint session of the Parliament to pass the constitutional amendment at midnight to pave the way for the establishment of the constitutional court, even its lawmakers and allies had not read the draft of the legislation and had agreed to support it blindly.

He said the mainstream political parties claimed that the establishment of the constitutional court was part of the Charter of Democracy but this was not even mentioned at the time of bringing the 18th Amendment.

Questioning the establishment of the constitutional court, he said the judiciary was already playing its role then why the need was felt to set it up, adding that this was an attempt to divide the Supreme Court.

He recalled that it was the QWP leadership which had suggested the name “Pakhtunkhwa” for the province. “It is written in the report of the 18th Amendment that I had suggested the name Pakhtunkhwa,” Aftab Sherpao said.

The QWP leader said state institutions should work within the constitutional ambit which was the only way to strengthen democracy and put the country on the path to progress. He even did not rule out the possibility of holding the fresh general election to bring an end to the “hybrid” system imposed on the country after the 2024 general election. Underscoring the need for the supremacy of parliament, he said that there was a dire need to let the people choose their true representatives. He said that experiments should be stopped so that democracy could take root. He maintained that a truly elected government could work for the welfare of the people. He advised the government to stop victimizing its political adversaries as this would prove counterproductive.

He was also critical of the provincial government and said the PTI rulers were least bothered to protect the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said bad governance was at its peak while the writ of the government was shrinking due to worsening law and order.

Aftab Sherpao feared the situation would further deteriorate if corrective steps were not taken. He said corruption was rampant and the people had lost trust in the incumbent government.