Sherpao for boosting trade activities with Afghanistan

Chairman, Qaumi Watan Party, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has stressed upon Islamabad and Kabul to strengthen the trade activities on both sides. He said that Afghanistan should also be included in CPEC and an Economic Zone like Nowshera to be constructed in Jalalabad Afghanistan as well, in order to uplift trade activities in the region.
He was addressing during the silver jubilee of Pashto Journal "Leekwal", at Watan Kor, on Sunday. On the occasion a number of prominent Pashto intellectuals, writers, and poets also expressed their views. Sherpao regretted that Pakistan and Afghanistan had been victims of terrorism and extremism for a very long time and it is high time to revitalise and re-establish cordial and friendly relations between both nations so to bring long-lasting peace and economic prosperity in the region.
QWP chief said that Pakhtun unity in the region is the need of time for the uplift and prosperity. He said that QWP from the day one has been raising its voice for the merger of Fata with the rest of KP which is the only solution to the problems of Pakhtuns. He said that KP-Fata merger is important for the unity of Pakhtun nation and with the process they would become a meaningful voice.
He said that Pakhtuns have rendered sacrifices for the cause of Pakistan but they have not been given due rewards for their services. He added that the only objective of the QWP was welfare of Pakhtuns and it would struggle for that cause.
Sherpao said that any stop-gap arrangement short of FATA-KP merger would not solve the problems of tribal people. He said that full-bloom merger would help redress the grievances of the tribal people. He contended that the FATA-KP merger would help strengthen the unity of Pakhtuns and it would also usher in a new era of progression and development.
Lambasting at the federal government, he said that the smaller federating units had been denied their financial resources which brought miseries to the masses. He regretted that federal government was not taking interest in the problems of the KP, which would increase mistrust between the federation and federating units, which is not in the good favour of the country.
He regretted that the longstanding issues of Pakhtuns had been put on back burner that intensified their sense of deprivation. He said that issues such as loadshedding, merger of FATA-KP, CPEC, rehabilitation etc. had been ignored which aggravated their conditions.
The party chairman said that the intellectuals and writers are great national asset and they have vital role in shaping the public minds. He said that the intelligentsia were instrumental, in great changes in the society and, if due honour had been given then they would contribute with the renewed zeal and enthusiasm. He impressed upon the writers of the both Pakistan and its neighbouring country Afghanistan to work jointly to ease the ongoing tension in the region. He said that writers to writers contact on both sides of the border will help to solve the problems.