Aftab Sherpao warns against bid to do away with 18th Amend

PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said on Monday that the federation should give more powers to the federating units instead of amending the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

In a statement issued from Watan Kor, he recalled that the 18th Amendment was made to the Constitutions with the consensus of all the provinces, therefore, it should not be withdrawn or tinkered with.

Aftab Sherpao said that those wishing to roll back the 18th Amendment would have to bite the dust. “The 18th Amendment was made after years of hard work so it must not be tweaked,” he warned. The QWP leader said it would damage the federation if an attempt was made to change the 18th Amendment.

He said the federal government should remove the sense of deprivation among the residents of the smaller provinces instead of snatching their rights. “We strongly oppose changing the 18th Amendment as it would trigger resentment among the smaller federating units,” he added. Aftab Sherpao said the Sindh government took timely steps to stop the spread of the coronavirus, dismissing the impression that the 18th Amendment had affected the decision-making of the provinces.

He maintained that giving more powers to the provinces would strengthen the federation. “We will resist the move to change the 18th Amendment as it amounted to usurping the rights of the smaller provinces,” he said.