PESH AWAR: The Pakistan Peoples Party has warned the government against doing away with the 18th Constitutional Amendment and said the people would agitate if the share of provinces in national resources was reduced.

PPP central executive committee member Rahimdad Khan told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday that the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was made to protect the rights and resources of the federating units without harming the federation.

`I reject Prime Minister Imran Khan`s claim that the 18th Amendment has adversely affected the federal government`s resources. That amendment was brought about after the provinces and the centre reach consensus and that it helped remove unrest among provinces to a great extent,` he said.

The PPP leader said any attempt to abolish 18thAmendment would be meant to get control on the resources of the provinces.

`The government will face a strong public reaction if changes are made to the Constitution without national consensus,` he said.

Mr Rahimdad flayed the government over its failure to control prices, unemployment and lawlessness saying the ruling PTI is victimising the opposition leaders instead of doing its actual duties.

He said the PTI leadership had always leveled baseless allegations and used derogatory language against leaders of rival parties but it didn`t fulfil its commitments of working for the people`s development during the last seven months.

The PPP leader said the government hadn`t taken any initiative to provide essential food items to the people at subsidised rates and instead, it had repeatedly increased prices.

He said the essential goods had gone completely out of the people`s purchasing power.

Mr Rahimdad said the PTI government didn`t plan the ways to address major national issues and therefore, the country`s economic situation was fast worsening.

He said the country`s debts had surged to Rs80 billion in the last seven months, which was unprecedented in the past.

The PPP leader said the PTI leaders spent time criticising the opposition instead of fixing the country`s core problems, especially economic ones.

He said the government had completely handed over the country to the International Monetary Fund as suggested by the appointment of its employees as the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and the premier`s economic adviser.

When asked about JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman`s plan to march on Islamabad against the PTI government after Ramazan, Mr Rahimdad said all opposition parties should decide about agitation in the best interest of the people.

He expressed concern about the withdrawal of security from the JUI-F chief and asked the government to restore it to prevent any mishap to Mr Fazl.