ANP talking points: Asfandyar Wali on APCs, anti-terrorism and diversion from ‘real issues’

Says party will resist any move against a Hazara province.

CHARSADDA:

The decision of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led coalition government to hold its own all-parties conference is just an attempt to divert attention from “real issues”, said Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfandyar Wali Khan.

The all-parties conference (APC) on September 9 handed mandate to the centre regarding talks with the Taliban – if the talks failed, there would be no option left but to use force. At a media briefing at Wali Bagh, Charsadda, Asfandyar also dispelled the notion that the failure of talks with the Taliban would be the fault of politicians or the state. The ANP leader criticised what he saw as PTI’s “double role” and questioned the meaning of holding a provincial APC.

Asfandyar laid emphasis on a joint Pak-Afghan strategy in the face of Nato’s withdrawal slated for 2014-2015. Terrorism has destroyed Afghanistan and will completely devastate Pakistan unless the country devises a concrete anti-terrorism strategy, said the leader who has only recently returned to his home town in Charsadda after five years.

“Drones strike Waziristan but militants bomb the rest of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P),” said the ANP leader while commenting on  the use of unilateral force by the US. Asfandyar went on to criticise the PTI for doing nothing to stop Nato supplies which go through K-P even though the party is in power. “They actively marched towards Tank during the ANP’s tenure but now remain silent, Asfandyar said. “If Imran Khan is a man of his word, he must stop the movement of Nato supplies when his own party is in majority.”

Hazara province

Asfandyar pointed out Hazara is not an area which only houses a certain ethnic group; half of its population is Pukhtun who do not want to see any such division. “We will resist any such move of the PTI.”

Electoral drubbing

Discussing the elections, the ANP leader maintained he was not allowed to visit K-P. ANP’s failure in the general polls was a combined result of the roles played by the Election Commission of Pakistan, Hakeemullah Mehsud and his own lack of presence in the province.

“The establishment needed a government which would be able to help the province in the wake of Nato’s withdrawal, why choose the PTI for this purpose?”

The ANP stalwart also commented on the Governor of Sindh’s resignation; Asfandyar claimed Dr Ishratul Ebad was reverting to tried and testing methods of blackmailing the government, even though the Muttahida Qaumi Movement approved the operation in Karachi.

Neighbourly ties

On India and Pakistan, Asfandyar pointed out the two countries must work together for the welfare of their citizens. He suggested a strategy similar to Germany and France, and to ignore past grievances. The ANP supports friendly relations between the two neighbours and will help towards this goal, said the former party president.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2013.