ANP sounds alarm over autonomy threat

Party to rally elders against rollback of 18th amendment, resource control laws, and rising violence

PESHAWAR:

The Awami National Party (ANP) has announced the convening of a National Jirga in Peshawar on July 26 to address the deteriorating law and order situation, rising incidents of terrorism and target killings, and the party's opposition to the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment.

Speaking at a press conference at Bacha Khan Markaz following a meeting of the party's provincial cabinet, ANP Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa President Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that elders from all walks of life, particularly those from the merged tribal districts, would be invited to the Jirga.

He warned that the delay in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, attempts to seize control of natural resources, and efforts to roll back the 18th and 25th Constitutional Amendments are all part of a larger conspiracy to undermine provincial autonomy.

"This land belongs to our forefathers, and as citizens of this country, we have every right to demand control over our resources—even if some don't like it," said Mian Iftikhar. He added that new laws aimed at controlling mineral wealth, revival of the tribal Jirga system, and attacks on the 18th Amendment are deliberate efforts to push the tribal areas back into underdevelopment.

Calling for justice, he demanded the formation of a judicial commission headed by a Supreme Court judge to investigate the assassination of Maulana Khanzeb, with representation from the martyr's family in the commission. "No one has been arrested so far. If facts are withheld or manipulated, the ANP will expose the truth to the public," he warned.

Mian Iftikhar said the National Jirga would formulate a strategy on how to effectively raise these issues at the national level. He stressed that ANP's struggle is not personal, but a fight for peace, ideology, and sovereignty.

"We have sacrificed over 1,200 lives. Our workers were targeted, and still, we remained silent. But now, we will not stay silent anymore," he asserted.

Calling for political unity, he said it is time for all parties to come together—not for votes or power, but for the future of coming generations.