QWP unveils election manifesto
Sherpao says rights of provinces will be secured at every cost.
PESHAWAR (Online) - The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) on Sunday unveiled its 12-point election manifesto envisaging the restoration of comprehensive and sustainable peace by building national consensus and introducing a policy framework to identify the root causes of terrorism and militancy.
It underscored the need for enabling pro-active and civilian-led initiatives to address the problems of violence, intolerance and militancy.
The party’s manifesto said that Pakistan was a federal state under the 1973 Constitution and the party would strive for the creation of new federating units on the basis of public demand.
Announcing the party’s manifesto at a press conference, QWP Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said that no effort would be spared to implement the election manifesto in letter and spirit if voted to power.
About the fiscal issues, he said the party believed in the constitutional framework that determined the rights of the provinces on resources generated within the provinces.
He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the biggest producer of hydel power, but despite constitutional guarantees, it remained deprived of its due share in the net hydel profits.
“The party will initiate a three-tier good governance programme i.e. political, economic and civic governance to introduce institutional reforms for ensuring good governance practices through public participation, transparency, accountability and access to information,” the manifesto said.
Outlining the party’s policy on addressing the energy crises, Aftab Sherpao said QWP would address the energy and gas shortages issues by attracting investment in the energy sector mainly in hydel and coal-based sectors.
“The current ratio of 30:70 percent (hydel: oil) will be balanced to 50:50 per cent to improve the balance of payments due to oil imports,” he maintained and added that they would diversify the energy production sector by taping alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind, bio-gas and bio-mass.
Spelling out his party’s economic development, the QWP chief said that his party would pursue the Post-conflict Needs Assessment recommendations besides revising and improving the Malakand Comprehensive Stabilisation and Socio-economic Development Strategy and the Sustainable Development Plan for Fata to rehabilitate the province and the tribal areas back to normalcy.
Aftab Sherpao said that the education budget would be enhanced from the current 2.2 percent of the GDP to at least five percent million to raise the literacy rate and get the out of school children numbering into millions to school.
He said that in the heath sector, public-private partnership would be encouraged to provide healthcare facilities to the people living in the far-flung areas.
The QWP chairman condemned the acts of terror that took place in Swat and Charsadda districts and said that it showed the failure of the previous provincial government, which had failed to take steps for restoration of peace.
