ECP, government not taking attacks on ANP seriously: Khattak

Parties' should say whether they are with Pashtuns or terrorists, demands ANP provincial president Afrasyab Khattak.

PESHAWAR: The ECP and interim government are not taking the attacks on our party members seriously and it seems they want to stop us from contesting elections, said Provincial president of Awami National Party (ANP) Afrasyab Khattak on Monday, Express News reported.

He was addressing a press conference in reference to the constant attacks targeting ANP members.

Recently, an ANP local leader Mukarram Shah lost his life after his car was blown up in Manglawar, Swat and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa MPA Adnan Wazir was injured when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near his vehicle in the Wali Noor area of Frontier Region (FR) Bannu.

Both the attacks took place in April in close succession.

Khattak blamed the interim government, ECP and political parties of showing indifference towards the continuous attacks on ANP members and Pashtuns.

“The attacks are covered by media then how come they [government, political parties] don’t notice it. We don’t see any condemnations coming from their end or any steps being taken by authorities [to counter terrorist attacks],” Khattak said. “It feels they are deliberately trying to malign our chances in the upcoming elections.”

“All political parties are quiet on the issue. They should clearly announce their allegiance towards the Pashtuns or the terrorists,” said an enraged Khattak.

“Security was taken back without informing us and we didn’t even have time to prepare [take steps to ensure security],” the ANP leader reiterated.

He expressed complete confidence in the police, reminding media about the favours and perks they introduced for them.

Khattak expressed reservations regarding the new Capital City Police Officer (CCPO).

“How can the new CCPO be impartial if he is participating in his uncle’s election campaign,” he said.

Khattak further said that the party is mature enough to withstand these pressures and can carry out large rallies but are not doing so, because they care about the security of people of K-P.

Yesterday the ANP spokesperson senator Zahid khan also came out and expressed serious reservations over the withdrawal of security cover of the ANP leadership by the election authorities a day earlier.

He also claimed that a conspiracy had been hatched to sideline the ANP and bring in ‘fundamentalist political parties’.