ANP demands apology from Nawaz for calling citizens of K-P ‘fools’

The Awami National Party (ANP) demanded an apology on Sunday from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif over his remark of referring to the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as 'fools'.

"Some of our people are easily fooled. And the easiest to fool are some people from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. This disease has originated from there [K-P]," Nawaz said a day earlier while releasing his party's manifesto in Lahore. 

ANP spokesperson Samar Haroon Bilour in a post on X said such language does not suit the leader of PML-N and a person who attained premiership thrice to refer to the people of a province as fools. 

She added that Nawaz's remark came at a time when his own daughter, Maryam Nawaz, was canvassing in the province. 

“On what basis are these people seeking vote from people?” asked Bilour.

Criticising the PML-N, the ANP spokesperson said the same party had earlier refused to give the people of K-P their due rights. “Maybe Nawaz is repeating history,” she added.

"We know that any individual who has a domicile from Punjab is considered respectable in this country, but the leaders of K-P are still present."

Condemning Nawaz for his language, the ANP spokesperson demanded the PML-N supremo to issue a public apology and retract his statement against the people of K-P.

Read: Nawaz to abolish NAB, hold judges accountable

A day earlier, Nawaz took a swipe at the state of affairs in K-P, asserting that those who left the country in a state of disarray were the ones who had initially disrupted it.

He questioned the outcome of the promised ‘Naya Pakistan’ by PTI founder Imran Khan and blamed the citizens of K-P for bringing the PTI into power.

“What do the people of K-P say? Did the province progress? Has ‘Naya Pakistan’ been made?” he asked.

Addressing a rally, the PML-N chief asked the attendees about what happened to the promise of ‘Naya Pakistan’ made by PTI's founder.

Nawaz promised a slew of development projects in K-P if his party was voted to power on Feb 8.