F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Tuesday said that the closure of the Torkham border was causing losses to the traders on both sides of the border, therefore, the government should reopen the border crossing.
Addressing a gathering of party workers at Sherpao village in Charsadda district, he said that both the sides should hold talks to sort out bilateral issues. Aftab Sherpao said the border closure would sow discord between the two countries, urging the government to solve all the issues through diplomatic channels.
He added that the closure of the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham would create problems for the business community, traders and other people. The QWP leader said that trade volume between Afghanistan and Pakistan was already low, urging the government to take steps to boost trade and business activities between the two brotherly countries.
Calling for unity to steer the country towards progress, the QWP leader said that the political forces should set side petty differences and join hands to address the challenges facing the country. Commenting on the skyrocketing inflation, Aftab Sherpao said that the people were grappling with a host of issues, including rising inflation, adding that relief should be provided to the have-nots as they were unable to feed their children let along sending them to schools.
He said that the people had high expectation of their leaders in times of crisis, therefore, they should work together to address the prevailing challenges. The QWP leader said that the people would lose interest in the political system if the politicians continued bickering over non-issues. “The people are mature. They want an end to lawlessness, unemployment and poverty,” he maintained.
Shedding light on his party’s manifesto, Aftab Sherpao promised that the QWP would spare no effort to provide health and education facilities to their people besides working for the restoration of peace. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had lagged behind in the race of development so concerted efforts were needed to put the province on the path of prosperity. He lamented that the previous provincial government did nothing for the development of KP and left the province in dire straits.
