A mandate stolen by terrorism : Asfandyar rues loss of elections due to militancy

ANP leader’s house attacked in Charsadda, damaging the under-construction structure

CHARSADDA:

As the house of another Awami National Party (ANP) leader was targeted in Charsadda on Friday, the party’s president Asfandyar Wali Khan said that terrorism was also responsible for their election loss in 2013.

Speaking to his Charsadda cabinet at Wali Bagh, the ANP central president said three days before the polls, the party had been told by a senior military official that it would be defeated. However, he added, if the ANP had chosen to boycott the polls, its opponents would have disparaged the party for allegedly running away from the threat of the Taliban.



Khan said the party was defeated by certain elements through a preplanned scheme and terrorists targeted the ANP because they were aware the party was the true heir of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). He maintained ANP’s mandate was stolen in the last elections, but it chose to accept the results for the sake of democracy. “The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government has failed and the people are again looking towards the ANP as their saviour.”

He added the ANP turned the dreams of its founding members into reality by giving Pukhtuns its own identity and gaining control of provincial resources. He appreciated the cooperation of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, saying the former president of the country agreed with ANP’s stance on several issues, especially provincial autonomy.

Khan welcomed positive criticism from ANP workers, saying all the party’s organisations were key to its prosperity. He urged activists to mobilise at the grass-roots level and carry forth the message of Bacha Khan and Wali Khan.

Party activists from all wards of the district as well as representatives of the Malgari Wakilan, National Youth Organisation and Pukhtoon Students Federation were present on the occasion. Other party leaders including provincial general secretary Aimal Wali Khan, district president Arshid Abdullah, Charsadda general secretary Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Shakil Umerzai were in attendance.

IED blast targets ANP leader

A four-kilogramme IED exploded in front of the house of an ANP leader in Charsadda on Friday morning, partially damaging the under-construction building. However, no loss of life was reported.

A Charsadda city police official said the bomb targeted the residence of former ANP district general secretary Qasim Ali Muhmmadzai in Muradabad. The police then reached the site and swept the crime scene.

Later, a case was registered against unidentified culprits. However, the ANP leader himself did not file an FIR. Police said the attack may have been carried out by extortionists as the ANP leader was also an industrialist.

Last week, elders of Charsadda attended a jirga where ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan was also present. He claimed the district police had failed to curb extortion and criminal activities continued unabated. The jirga members said they will be forced to act on their own if the situation persists and the provincial government would be responsible for the consequences.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2014.