PESHAWAR: Senior politician and Awami National Party (ANP) central leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has claimed that when Imran Khan was launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013, there was a leadership vacuum in the province and no one was able to challenge him.
“Had Asfandyar Wali Khan not stayed at home or been forced to stay at home, the results would have been different. Bringing people under pressure through terrorists and forcing them to stay home is the way of this state,” he said, adding, “Bhutto was more popular than Imran, yet Wali Khan, Mufti Mehmood, and Khan Qayyum did not allow him any political space in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” Bilour also claimed that in 1999, Nawaz Sharif wanted to introduce a presidential system in the country and accompanied by Chaudhry Nisar, he visited Wali Bagh for discussions.
Bilour also claimed that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s father was a companion of Bacha Khan. Khan Qayyum imprisoned Shah Rukh Khan’s father and relatives, forcing them to leave Pakistan.
He made these disclosures in book, “Main Kyun Nahi Toota” (Why I did not break).
Bilour revealed that Aimal Wali Khan neither gave him time for a meeting nor answered his calls. He criticized the ANP for lacking leadership and discipline and for having a “pick-and-choose” leadership style. He also claimed that General Zia-ul-Haq had once offered Wali Khan the prime ministership.
He also accused General Zia of using derogatory language about Pakistani politicians in front of Shah of Iran in Tehran.
He also revealed that Bhutto had threatened General Zia that if he won the elections, he would put him on trial for treason.
He wrote that when Imran Khan was politically launched in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013, there was a leadership vacuum in the province, which is why no one could challenge him.
Asfandyar Wali Khan was the only leader who could have countered him, but he was pressured into staying at home through threats from terrorists.
Bilour compared this to Wali Khan, who had survived five assassination attempts yet he never backed down. When Wali Khan was jailed, Begum Naseem Wali Khan filled the leadership void.
Bilour further claimed that he had twice submitted his nomination papers for the senior central presidency of ANP but on one occasion, he was told that his application was received late and, on another occasion, the party leadership took the plea that the position was being given to Balochistan.
When Aimal Wali was elected central president, Bilour requested a meeting, but Aimal neither visited him nor answered his calls.
Recalling a 1989 incident, Bilour wrote that the ANP had left the coalition government over delay in appointing a governor.
One day, the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto invited Wali Khan and Bilour to a meeting, which they attended along with Begum Naseem Wali Khan. After welcoming them into her chamber in the National Assembly, Benazir served them a meal. When Wali Khan asked why they had been called, Benazir replied, “Just for a meal.”
This angered Wali Khan, who told her that politicians meet to discuss matters, not just to eat, and that he could have had a meal of his choice at home. Wali Khan left the meeting, telling Benazir that they would not meet her again.
Bilour also narrated that in August 1999, when Nawaz Sharif’s relations with the establishment had soured, he remembered ANP. Nawaz invited Bilour to his car and drove him to Wali Bagh. On the way, Nawaz suggested shifting to a presidential system, arguing that the parliamentary system had completely failed. Chaudhry Nisar supported the idea, claiming that a presidential system would resolve all issues. However, Bilour opposed it, stating that it would worsen the deprivation of three provinces. When Chaudhry Nisar asked about proportional representation, Bilour again disagreed, arguing that it would grant too much power to the party leaders. Nawaz Sharif responded, “Haji Sahib, you oppose every system.”
During a Jirga at Wali Bagh, Nawaz Sharif agreed to the ANP’s three demands: provincial autonomy, renaming the province, and scrapping the Kalabagh Dam project. The ANP then decided to rejoin the government, and its ministers were scheduled to take the oath on October 14. However, General Pervez Musharraf imposed martial law on October 12.
Bilour also recalled that after the July 5, 1977 martial law, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi visited him in Peshawar and suggested supporting General Zia, as he had freed them from Bhutto’s captivity. Bilour responded that ANP stood with democracy and would only support Zia if he conducted elections. Zahoor Elahi opposed the elections, fearing Bhutto would win again.
Bhutto had threatened General Zia that if he won the elections, he would try him for treason. In a sarcastic tone, Wali Khan warned Zia, “There are two bodies, but only one grave. If Bhutto is not buried first, Zia will end up in the grave.”
Bilour also wrote that General Fazle Haq once traveled to London to meet Wali Khan and offered him the prime ministership, claiming that five generals had made this decision in Nathia Gali.
Wali Khan dismissed the offer, saying, “Pir Sahib, did you come from Peshawar to London for this joke?” However, he set conditions: Zia must remove his uniform and hold elections within six months. Fazle Haq objected, arguing that if Zia removed his uniform, he would no longer have power, and if elections were held a year later, Bhutto would win again. Disappointed, Fazle Haq returned.
Bilour also mentioned that after Bhutto’s execution in 1979, Jamaat-e-Islami and Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi joined Zia’s government. He criticized Zia for his derogatory remarks about Pakistani politicians in Tehran in front of the Shah of Iran.
Regarding Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, Bilour wrote that Shah Rukh’s father, Taj Mohammad, and his uncle Ghulam Mohammad, used to visit his father’s shop. Both were active members of the Indian National Congress and suffered imprisonment during the independence movement. After Pakistan’s creation, Khan Qayyum jailed Shah Rukh’s father and uncles because they were Bacha Khan’s followers. Eventually, they were forced to leave Pakistan and settled in Kolkata. When Shah Rukh Khan visited Pakistan, Bilour invited his entire family for a gathering.