PESHAWAR: Expressing concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in the southern belt, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial chairman Sikander Hayat Sherpao on Wednesday demanded to discuss the problems facing the province. All parties conference should be called.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, he expressed grief over the recent loss of lives in the clashes in the tribal district of Kurram and said that the killing of women and children in the attacks was unprecedented.
Citing official figures on the death toll, he said that 82 people have so far lost their lives while over 150 have been injured in the clashes in Karam. The QWP leader demanded an investigation into the November 21 attack on passenger vehicles.
Criticizing the provincial government’s failure to ensure peace in Karam, Sikandar Sherpao said that although it had claimed a ceasefire, the clashes continued and there was no respite in the violence. He said that important roads were closed in Karam for three months, which have been converted into an open jail.
The QWP chief said that the provincial government was concentrating on preparations for its Islamabad protest and did not even bother to pay attention to the issue of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan divisions account for 15 percent of the population of KP where people are suffering the brunt of the growing lawlessness. Sikandar Sherpao said that it is the responsibility of the provincial government to ensure the safety of the people.
He said that the Chief Minister should have visited Karam to sympathize with the people and work to restore peace there. He said the chief minister simply issued a statement saying he was “taking stock of the situation”.
Sikandar Sherpao said that the government is losing its grip in the southern belt of KP. He said that the government has left the people at the mercy of terrorists. He said that KP is on auto mode as no effort is being made to solve the problems faced by common people. The QWP leader said that on one hand, the federal government sought loans from international moneylenders, on the other hand, the national economy lost billions of rupees due to the protests. He asked that what is the fault of the Rangers and police personnel who lost their lives in the protest?