PESHAWAR: Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has expressed grave concern over rising prices of petroleum products, saying that the move would trigger a fresh wave of inflation.
The QWP leader said the rupee depreciation and the economic meltdown had already crippled the people financially who were now taking to the streets to vent their anger. He said the prices of the daily use items have gone beyond the purchasing power of the people.
The QWP leader said that the shutter down strikes and protest by traders and the general people would lead to further unrest in the country if the government did not take steps to mitigate the sufferings of the masses.
He also criticized the PTI leadership for the May 9 incidents and said the former Prime Minister Imran Khan staged the cipher drama and strained Pakistan’s relations with other countries.
He said that political stability was necessary for economic stability and the country would not afford turmoil at this point in time. He attributed the problems facing the country today to the outcome of the 2018 general elections, which he said was massively rigged in favor of a certain political party.
Aftab Sherpao while addressing a gathering in Swabi district, where known political figures announced joining the QWP; said that though his party had reservations over the recently conducted digital census, the delimitation process should be carried out at the earliest to pave the way for the next general election.
Calling for steps to lower the circular debt of the power sector, Aftab Sherpao said the power sector’s transmission and distribution losses stood at Rs520 billion. He further said that the line losses of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company reached Rs153.8 billion during the financial year 2021-22, adding that the government should take steps to address the issues related to the distribution and transmission system.
He added the government should form a commission to probe the line losses. The QWP chief said an audit should be conducted into the agreements reached with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) as the deals were mainly investor-friendly instead of being consumer-friendly.
He also expressed concern over the rising attacks on the security forces personnel in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and called for an effective strategy to deal with the scourge of terrorism. He said the country was faced with a host of challenges ranging from political and financial instability to worsening law and order and the deepening sense of deprivation among the smaller federating units.
He called for creating an enabling environment for the holding of the free, fair and peaceful general election by conducting the delimitation process in a proper manner so that the next elected government could take steps to provide relief to the people in the face of backbreaking inflation as well as putting the economy on the right track.
He hoped the next elected government would also focus on addressing the sense of deprivation among the smaller provinces, adding that no effort should be spared to restore peace in the country particularly the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and its merged districts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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