Implementing manifestoes: ANP leader claims KP government ‘sent terrorists back to their caves’

The recent spate of terrorist attacks in KP is in reaction to the drone attacks, says Bashir Bilour.

KARACHI: A senior minister and the parliamentary leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Bashir Ahmed Bilour, said that the KP government had been able to “push the terrorist to their caves.” He said that the recent spate of terrorist attacks were in reaction to the drone attacks.

“The attacks are a blow to Pakistan’s integrity,” said the senior politician while talking to the media at the press club on Saturday. “But KP has to face most of the consequences as around 50 per cent of the attacks take place there.” The US carries out attacks for their own purpose but the poor people of the province have to bear the consequences.

According to Bilour, the ANP has lost around 450 activists, including two parliamentarians, to terrorism. Almost all of the leaders have been attacked at one or the other time for trying to fight terrorism.

He said that his party was still popular in KP because the party implemented everything on their manifesto - changed the name of North West Frontier Province to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, their stance on the NFC Award and achieved provincial autonomy. The party also set up five universities across the province. The ANP won all the by-elections in the province except one in Taank, which was won by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F, said Bilour.

“We still have the people’s support without which no one can control terrorist activities,” he said.

“Winston Churchill won the second world war and lost the election,” said the parliamentary leaders when talking about the upcoming general elections. “But we will win elections and the war both.”

While replying to a question about the Nato supply chain, he said that for now the containers were not allowed to go to Afghanistan. The parliament will make the final decision and then the KP government will act accordingly.

While talking about the Balochistan issue he said that the government should give it the importance it deserved. “The issue is 30 to 40 years old,” he said. “If the disgruntle Nawabs of Balochistan were included in the government in the early days then the situation would not have worsened to this extent.”