MANSEHRA, March 3: Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to stop lawmakers from inaugurating development schemes in their constituencies.

Addressing a public meeting in Doraha area here on Sunday, he said that chief election commissioner should initiate inquires against those lawmakers, who were inaugurating development projects in their respective constituencies.

`I am clear that ECP can hold transparent elections if it wants to do so but the chief election commissioner should use his powers delegated to him by the constitution to stop pre-poll rigging, being done in the shape of schemes and funds,` Mr Sherpao said.

He alleged that rulers looted the country and gifted inflation to the nation.

`The nation is going to get rid of the corrupt leaders of Pakistan People`s Party, Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. People will cele-brate the end of the government as these parties plundered the national exchequer and gave gift of inflation and hike in tariffs of electricity and gas to masses, he said.

On the occasion, Tahir Shehzad Tanoli, Saeed Khan and some of elders of Torghar district announced to join Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).

`Those, who are proud over completion of five-year term of the governments at centre and provinces, in fact gave nothing to the nation except looting the national wealth and shifting their assets abroad. People would make them accountable in the upcoming general elections,` said Mr Sherpao.

He said that his party would field candidates from almost all constituencies in the country and would not enter into seat adjustment and election alliance with the parties that were involved in corruption during the last five years.

Mr Sherpao alleged that Awami National Party deceived Pakhtuns dur-ing the last five years. He said that ANP couldn`t run election campaign as it was afraid to face the wrath of people.

`If Asfandyar Wali, the chief of ANP, could not visit his ancestral constituency for the last five years how he would face people there in the elections,` he said.

The QWP chief said that rules failed to maintain peace as a result of which the economy of the country reached at the brink of collapse.

FIRE: The third floor of a hotel in Mansehra city was gutted when fire broke out in it on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses said that fire broke out when welding work was in progress on the third floor of Ashiana Hotel, situated on Abbottabad Road. The local people and firefighters put out the fire after hectic efforts.

Later, the residents of the area held a demonstration against the municipal administration, saying that two of the three fire tenders that reached the spot were without water.