The disagreeable agreement: ANP chief says NWA ‘social agreement’ an insult to FATA

Asfandyar Wali Khan claims loyalty of tribesmen being questioned .

PESHAWAR:

The ‘social agreement’ between the North Waziristan political administration and tribesmen is an insult to Fata’s residents, asserted Awami National Party Central President Asfandyar Wali Khan on Tuesday.

Terming the agreement an injustice while speaking at Bilour House in the city, he said tribespeople left their homes and rendered tremendous sacrifices for the sake of the country. He believed the loyalty of the tribes was being questioned through the eight-page document. “It is an insult and such actions create mistrust,” he underlined.



The ANP chief demanded that local bodies’ polls should also be held in Fata and said tribespeople had been left at the mercy of the political administration. He expressed concern over some clauses of the LG Act 2013 and alleged the government was preparing to rig elections.

Asfandyar said that village councils’ outcomes will be announced 10 days after elections, while National Assembly results are declared in a matter of hours. He believed such an announcement clearly indicated that the government was intent on poll rigging. He also slammed the government for authorising the chief minister to sack the district nazim.

He said PTI Chairperson Imran Khan has joined the ranks of military dictators Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq by announcing LG polls on a non-party basis. He said on one hand, the courts had ordered that LG elections be held on party basis, but the PTI government was doing the opposite in the province.

Asfandyar said ANP has already challenged this in court and hoped the judiciary would uphold its stance on the matter.

‘No militant wing’

The ANP chief said his party had no militant wing and those with any such links would not remain party members.

Asfandyar said Saulat Mirza’s allegations against senior politicians had no legal standing as they were not recorded before a magistrate. However, he said the allegations were of a serious nature and suggested a high-level joint investigation to probe the matter. “An independent investigation of these allegations would be in the interest of all stakeholders, including MQM,” he said. The ANP central president claimed the Karachi operation was launched after taking all parties on board.

ANP chief termed the thaw in Pak-Afghan ties as a positive development and said the friendly relations needed to continue for the sake of both countries.

‘Stay out of Yemen’

Asfandyar voiced his concerns over Pakistan’s participation in the Yemen conflict. He believed such actions could prove disastrous for the country and asked the government to convene an All Parties Conference to discuss the thorny subject.

Talking to reporters after the party’s provincial general council meeting at Bilour House, the ANP chief said his party was vehemently opposed to Pakistan taking part in the wars of other countries. He said the federal government should immediately call an APC so that all political parties could agree on a single point. He reiterated that his party would oppose Pakistan’s military intervention in Yemen during such a meeting.

He said Pukhtuns were still bearing the brunt of Pakistan’s participation in the Afghan war and Balochistan would have to pay similar consequences if the country became part of the tussle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Asfandyar said it was unfortunate that the Pakistani leadership had failed to learn from its past mistakes.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2015.