K-P yet to take action against Ansarul Islam

ANP’s Asfandyar to lead a rally to join Azadi march from October 31

PESHAWAR: Even though the federal government has moved to ban Ansarul Islam, a ‘militia’ of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), the provincial government has yet to take any action against the group. Instead, the government is calculating its steps.

Meanwhile, the opposition Awami National Party (ANP) has decided to participate in JUI-F’s Azadi march from October 31 through a rally led by the party chief himself.

The decision to take action against Ansarul Islam was taken during a meeting of the federal cabinet which deemed the group to be hazardous to maintaining law, order and peace in the country. The federal cabinet had also allowed the provincial government to take action against the group as per the law and order situation.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Law Minister Sultan Muhammad Khan told The Express Tribune that even though a ban has been imposed by the federal government, the right of taking action has been granted to the provincial government.

He, however, dismissed the idea that the decision against Ansarul Islam had been taken to target the JUI-F, rather, he said that the decision was about all banned militants organisations operating in the province.

“All those organizations taking the law into their hands or challenging the writ of the state will fall under such directives,” he warned.

ANP to join Azadi march

The ANP has decided to fully participate in JUI-F’s ‘Azadi march’ but only from October 31 through a rally led b the party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan from the Rashakai Interchange in Mardan.

This was decided by a think tank of the party which met at Wali Bagh in Charsadda on Friday with party chief Asfandyar in the chair.

The think tank, which includes the top brass of the party, discussed the current political situation in the country and affairs about the Azadi march.

In the meeting, Asfandyar said that staging peaceful protests for legal rights is the fundamental right of every political party.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM SHAHID HAMID 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2019.