QWP leader asks govt to honour pledges on merged districts

GHALLANAI: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial head Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao on Tuesday asked the government to honour the pledges made with the people of the merged districts.

Addressing a gathering, he said that the government should release the funds so that the uplift activities could be carried out in the tribal districts. On the occasion, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and notables, including Malik Bacha, Malik Alif Khan, Malik Muqadar Khan, Rahim Khan, Azeem Khan and others announced joining the QWP along with the family members and supporters. They reposed confidence in the QWP leadership and vowed to work for strengthening the party at the grassroots level.

Welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, Sikandar Sherpao urged the government to repair the damaged infrastructure in the merged districts and provide health and education facilities to the local population. Asking the government to implement the recommendations of the Sartaj Aziz committee about the merged districts, he said the federal government should honour the pledges made with the tribal people at the time of merging the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The tribal people rendered unprecedented sacrifices for the restoration of peace therefore the government must take steps to mitigate their sufferings,” he demanded, urging the government to release the promised funds so that uplift activities could take place in the ex-Fata.

He recalled that the government had pledged to release Rs100 billion annually for 10 years for the development of the merged districts.