CHARSADDA: Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Tuesday said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was least bothered to work for the uplift of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as its leaders were busy in staging rallies for the release of jailed leader Imran Khan.

`The PTI has been ruling KP for the third straight term but its MNAs and MPAs are busy staging rallies for Imran`s release,` he said while addressing a wellattended gathering in Sherpao village here to mark the 50th death anniversary of Shaheed Hayat Mohammad Khan Sherpao.

Paying rich tribute to his elder brother for his services for the welfare of the downtrodden segments of the society, Aftab Sherpao said Hayat Sherpao laid down his life while striving to help the oppressed get their due rights. He claimed that Hayat Sherpao was a visionary leader, who had challenged the forces of the status quo. `He created political awareness among his followers,` the QWP leader recalled.

Criticising the PTI government for `ignoring` Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said law and order had deteriorated in the entire province, while the Kurram issue was also mishandled.

Calling for a dialogue to bring political stability, Aftab Sherpao said the PTI and the federal government were holding the talks for the sake of talks, but they were not sincere to end the stalemate. Hesaid the PTI leaders were receiving instructions from jail regarding the tallcs with the government.

Before the last general elections, the QWP leader said that they were expecting that the polls would help bring political stability to the country but that did not happen.

`In 2018, the Results Transmission System was shut down while in 2024 the `Form 47 government` was imposed on the country,` he said, demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner for `having failed` to ensure the holding of free and fair elections.

The provincial government, he claimed was spending publicfunds on organising rallies and demanded a probe into the `misuse` of official resources.

He alleged the provincial government was being run from the jail.

He was also critical of the federal government for making the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which he believed caused unrest in the superior judiciary. He said the amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act were meant to muzzle the press and stifle dissenting voices on the social media.Sharing the way forward to steer the country out of the prevailing challenges, Aftab Sherpao said that a welfare state should be established in accordance with the provisions of the 1973 Constitution.

`Efforts should be made to establish a state, where all the people irrespective of their social status should be treated equally,` he said, adding that it was the right of people to have access to health and education facilities and other amenities of life.

He maintained that the Constitution should be applied to the people equally. He said all state institutions should work within their domain.

The QWP leader further said thatsince Pakistan was a federation, all the federating units should have autonomy and the provinces must have control over their resources.

Turning to the plight of Pakhtuns, he said that their grievances should be addressed to remove the growing sense of deprivation among them. He also called for coordinated efforts to restore peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where terrorism had again reared its ugly head. `Security conditions remain precarious, with approximately 670 incidents of terrorism reported in the past year averaging two to three attacks daily underscoring the gravity of the situation,` he remarke d.