Expressing reservations: ANP opposes transfer of high-profile prisoners to Mardan jail

District president says the move could lead to militant groups becoming active in the area.

MARDAN/ GHALLANI: Awami National Party’s (ANP) Mardan chapter has opposed the government’s decision to shift high-profile prisoners from Peshawar Central Jail to Mardan Central Jail, terming it a “plot against Mardan city’s peaceful atmosphere”.

Addressing a public gathering in Naseer Kalay village on Sunday, ANP Mardan President Himayatullah Mayar said, “Transferring dangerous and high-profile prisoners like Dr Shakil Afridi and Niaz Mohammad, a militant involved in an attack on former president General Pervez Musharraf, to Mardan could lead to militant groups becoming active in the district.”



The government had earlier decided to shift high-profile prisoners to the newly-constructed high-security Mardan Central Jail which is designed to house at least 3,000 prisoners with 127 separate high-security cells for detainees.

Mayar added his party would take leaders of other political parties on board to resist the provincial government’s decision.

Expressing disappointment over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Mayar said the ruling party’s leaders are doing nothing for the province and are using its resources for the protest in Islamabad.

“Before the elections, PTI made promises to the people of K-P; those promises turned out to be hollow,” said the ANP leader. He urged PTI’s leaders to come back to K-P from Islamabad and meet the people’s expectations.

Speaking about the previous ANP-led government’s achievements, Mayar said they succeeded in getting a large chunk of the federal government’s resources for K-P through the National Finance Commission Award and also set up eight universities, more than 70 colleges and nearly 600 schools.

“The ANP government also fought terrorism and succeeded in driving away militants from the province at the cost of the lives of some 700 ANP workers,” said Mayar.

ANP stalwarts Abbas Sani, Muneer Khan, Nazeer Khan and Rahim Gul also addressed the gathering. A large number of former activists of various political parties, including PTI and PML-N, announced joining ANP.

Fata reforms

ANP’s Mohmand Agency President Nisar Mohmand has demanded the extension of Article 246 and Article 247 of the Constitution to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) at the earliest.

“Tribesmen have been deprived of basic human, legal and civil rights since independence. They are living like slaves,” said Mohmand while addressing a public meeting in Pandyali tehsil.

Advocating civil rights for tribesmen at par with the citizens of the rest of the country, Mohmand held the “civil and military establishment” responsible for neglecting the tribal belt. He said that the rulers are reluctant to end the status quo in tribal areas for unknown reasons.

Now is the time to merge Fata into K-P and bring it in the mainstream of national politics, said Mohmand.

The agency president and other speakers urged the government to allocate two National Assembly seats to Mohmand Agency, according to its demographic needs. They demanded royalty from the proposed Munda Dam in Mohmand for the affectees and repairing of the Pandyali Dam.

The speakers also expressed concern over target killings of notable tribesmen. A number of locals announced they were joining ANP at the gathering.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2014.