Back in Wali Bagh: Asfandyar unveils plans to reorganise ANP
Endorses PM’s peace roadmap; opposes army operation in Karachi.
The ANP chief speaks at a news conference in Wali Bagh. PHOTO: PPI
CHARSADDA:
Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan unveiled plans on Saturday to reorganise his party at the grassroots level following its drubbing in the May 11 elections.
The ANP, which ruled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in coalition with the Pakistan Peoples Party for five years, lost to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the province.
“Our party performed poorly in the general elections … therefore, we [the ANP leadership] have decided to reorganise,” Asfandyar told a news conference after his return to his home in Wali Bagh, Charsadda, after five years.
Reading from a three-page report of the ANP’s fact-finding committee, Asfandyar said that while ‘conspiracies’ against the ANP had affected its performance in the elections, ‘internal weaknesses’ also cost the party dearly.
“There is a weakness of policy, weakness of governance and weakness of organisation within the ANP,” he said. The report also found a lack of transparency in the party’s recruitment process, he added.
Announcing the reorganisation plans, he said a central election commission has been set up under the supervision of Senator Haji Adeel. A separate commission has been formed for all four provinces, with a fifth committee exclusively for south Punjab. Asfandyar said the reorganisation process would take place over October and November.
‘No plans to destabilise PTI govt’
The ANP chief said that while his party would criticise PTI government if it performed badly in the province, it would never take part in any move to destabilise the provincial government.
He did, however, criticise the PTI government, saying that its ‘apologetic’ policies have allowed militants to operate with impunity on the outskirts of Peshawar and to entrench themselves in Swat and Buner districts.
About the proposed peace talks with the Taliban, Asfandyar said that peace has always been a priority for the ANP which is why it had organised an all-party conference during its tenure. He added that while he personally thought PM Nawaz Sharif should have convened an APC before reaching out to the Taliban in his televised address to the nation.
Asfandyar said the ANP would support army intervention in Karachi but not an ‘army operation’. He added that any operation would be difficult without de-weaponising Karachi first.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2013.
Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan unveiled plans on Saturday to reorganise his party at the grassroots level following its drubbing in the May 11 elections.
The ANP, which ruled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in coalition with the Pakistan Peoples Party for five years, lost to Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in the province.
“Our party performed poorly in the general elections … therefore, we [the ANP leadership] have decided to reorganise,” Asfandyar told a news conference after his return to his home in Wali Bagh, Charsadda, after five years.
Reading from a three-page report of the ANP’s fact-finding committee, Asfandyar said that while ‘conspiracies’ against the ANP had affected its performance in the elections, ‘internal weaknesses’ also cost the party dearly.
“There is a weakness of policy, weakness of governance and weakness of organisation within the ANP,” he said. The report also found a lack of transparency in the party’s recruitment process, he added.
Announcing the reorganisation plans, he said a central election commission has been set up under the supervision of Senator Haji Adeel. A separate commission has been formed for all four provinces, with a fifth committee exclusively for south Punjab. Asfandyar said the reorganisation process would take place over October and November.
‘No plans to destabilise PTI govt’
The ANP chief said that while his party would criticise PTI government if it performed badly in the province, it would never take part in any move to destabilise the provincial government.
He did, however, criticise the PTI government, saying that its ‘apologetic’ policies have allowed militants to operate with impunity on the outskirts of Peshawar and to entrench themselves in Swat and Buner districts.
About the proposed peace talks with the Taliban, Asfandyar said that peace has always been a priority for the ANP which is why it had organised an all-party conference during its tenure. He added that while he personally thought PM Nawaz Sharif should have convened an APC before reaching out to the Taliban in his televised address to the nation.
Asfandyar said the ANP would support army intervention in Karachi but not an ‘army operation’. He added that any operation would be difficult without de-weaponising Karachi first.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2013.