CHARSADDA:
If the 18th Amendment is nullified and provincial autonomy retracted, Pakistan will be on the brink of breaking up into five independent states warned Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Monday.
Addressing a party workers’ convention at Bacha Garhi in Shabqadar, Khan said whenever there is military action against militants, there is an exodus of Pukhtuns from the affected areas as they suffer for the cause of their people.
“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has staged a ruckus in Islamabad in order to divert attention from the miseries of the internally displaced persons,” said the ANP chief. He added his party is striving for the rights of Pukhtuns and achieved it partially through provincial autonomy, claiming Bacha Khan and Wali Khan struggled for it all their lives.
Taking a dig at PTI, Khan said some people have jeopardised the rights of Pukhtuns for the sake of gaining political mileage. “ANP is the guardian of Pukhtuns,” he said, adding it will fight all such elements till the end.
Khan explained ANP’s support of the federal government is in fact support of the system. He warned that ANP will agitate if anyone tries to oust the government through illegitimate means.
While pointing towards the brawls between government and opposition lawmakers in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, Khan said the politics of respect and tolerance is long lost. Extremist behaviour of the representatives of the people is in no way favourable, he stressed.
Khan argued ANP struggled to gain control of K-P from the centre while Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has surrendered it to Bani Gala, Islamabad.
He also condemned the Wagah border blast and offered prayers for the deceased.
The convention was also addressed by other ANP stalwarts, including Central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Former chief minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti.
Speaking to The Express Tribune later, Hoti said that only Pukhtun political and religious figures are at the frontline of attacks. Hoti criticised Imran Khan’s use of double entendres in his political statements, saying Imran’s mention of the umpire raising his finger opened a new Pandora’s Box. He said Imran should be brave enough to name the umpire and come out openly with his intentions. Hoti lauded the political forces of Pakistan for uniting against an untoward move to topple the government for the first time in history.
He also said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has neglected K-P completely and that his own party workers in the province are not happy with his policies. Hoti said both PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are engaged in a power struggle for Punjab while the rest of the country suffers.
While answering a question, Hoti claimed PTI MPAs are paying extortion to remain safe while extremist elements target democratic forces like ANP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
Hoti alleged that PTI is not yet ready to shoulder the responsibilities of the province and has left it to the mercy of others. He said peace on both sides of the border is vital for the stability and mutual interests of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.
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