ANP extends support to JUI-F’s Azadi March

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan on Friday extended support to the Azadi March of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and pledged to take part in the protest in Islamabad.

Addressing the ANP Provincial Council meeting at the Bacha Khan Markaz, he directed the provincial organisations of the party to evolve the mode for cooperating with the JUI-F.

He was critical of Chief Minister Mehmood Khan for his threatening statements about stopping the Azadi March. “The ANP will take to task the selected chief minister and give a call to the party workers if any effort was made to obstruct the Azadi March participants or political workers were subjected to torture,” he warned.

Asfandyar Wali asked the chief minister to think for how long he would remain in office. He would not be able to find shelter even in his hometown of Matta in the Swat district, added the ANP chief.

“When a government denies the people their democratic and constitutional right to stage protest, the people are forced to turn to an unconstitutional and undemocratic path,” he said. The ANP chief said the opposition wanted an end of the “selected” government and transparent elections for a system under which all state institutions work within the constitutional limits. He said efforts had been launched through the “selected” prime minister to roll back the 18th Constitutional Amendment. “The National Finance Commission Award unveiling is being delayed as that would give a greater revenue share to the provinces,” he argued. Asfandyar Wali said terrorists were once again calling citizens in the Malakand division, especially Swat and Buner, and demanding extortion from them. “The selectors will have to answer who will be responsible if the terrorists remained active,” he added.

The ANP chief was concerned at the protest by the health department employees in the province and flayed the government for using force against them. He alleged the government was trying to privatise the public sector hospitals, which was not acceptable. Asfandyar Wali said political victimisation had been unleashed in the name of accountability. He said Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari families were being tortured through the NAB.