President fulfilled most promises made to ANP: Hoti

BIRMINGHAM: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti claimed here that President Asif Ali Zardari had fulfilled most of the promises he had made to Awami National Party (ANP) at the time of the alliance formation between the two parties.
Speaking to a crowd of Awami National Party (ANP) activists here, Hoti showered praise on Asif Ali Zardari and said the left-leaning party was proud of its alliance and friendship with the PPP co-chairman. Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan was also present on the occasion.
Hoti vowed that the alliance between Pakistan People’s Party and Awami National Party would continue “in the best interests of the national unity and development”.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM claimed that ANP was on course to achieving most of the promises it had made to its supporters. He said the party was working for the provincial autonomy and termed the provincial autonomy linked with a strong federation. He said ANP was working to spread the philosophy of Bacha Khan, which is aimed at promoting tolerance and non-violence amongst people of all ethnicities and belongings.
He said the ANP was at the forefront of fighting militancy and thousands of its workers had been killed by the violent militants. “Militants were gaining strength sometime ago but the last two years have been like a sea change as militants are no more pro-active. They are fighting for their survival. The struggle against terrorism has the ownership of Pakistani nation and we as a nation are united against it,” Hoti said, condemning the militants for killing innocent people in the name of Islam.
“There is an undeclared third world war in the region. Americans, West as whole and hostile agencies are involved in this conflict. Pakistan is being destabilised by the external forces more than any other force”, he said.
He held up Malakand and Swat as a success story where the unity of action defeated militants, although the price had been high, as numerous top ANP leaders had come under attack from Taliban militants.
He said the mistakes made by the successive governments and failure to introduce administrative and political reforms had encouraged the rise of Taliban and warned that consequences will be serious if reforms and speedy justice is not introduced to the common people.
Wajid Shamusl Hasan said ANP and PPP were engaged in jihad against terrorism. He appreciated Wali Khan for playing a positive role in the formation of the 1973 Constitution. He said ANP’s role was crucial in defeating militants in Swat and Malakand and said the whole nation was thankful to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa people for standing steadfast against terrorism.