PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan has termed as historic the verdict of the Special Court in the high treason case against former military ruler, retired General Pervez Musharraf.
However, he believed that para 66 of the verdict was ‘inhuman.’ Talking to this scribe at his Wali Bagh residence in Charsadda, he argued that military dictators Gen Pervez Musharraf, Gen Yahya Khan and Gen Ziaul Haq would not have dared to capture power by overthrowing the civilian governments had Field Marshal Ayub Khan been awarded the capital punishment in the past. “This historic verdict is the victory of all democratic forces,” he maintained. He added that disgracing the dead as ruled by the Special Court was inhuman. Asfandyar Wali criticised some of the ministers and spokespersons of the federal government for making ridiculous statements against the judges and the judiciary after the Special Court’s verdict. He said that contempt of court notices should be issued to them. “The ANP stands by the judiciary and supports the court decision as it will strengthen democratic institutions,” he added. The ANP head said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government could not draft a summary or notification about the extension in the tenure of General Qamar Javed Bajwa as Army Chief and the court had to direct the government to make proper amendments. “We are not in favour of extension of any government servant and there must be proper legislation for the purpose,” he said. About the ongoing accountability process, the ANP leader said the government was victimizing its political opponents in the name of accountability. He said that if Prime Minister Imran Khan was serious in conducting fair and transparent accountability then he must begin it from his own home and family.
“Why the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was reluctant to probe irregularities in MalamJabba, Billion Tree Tsunami and Bus Rapid Transit mega projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said. “This shows the government was not interested in fighting corruption,” he claimed.
The ANP leader once again challenged Prime Minister Imran Khan to a TV show to declare their assets in an effort to prove as to who had accumulated wealth. To a question, Asfandyar Wali said that his son Aimal Wali Khan had been elected as provincial president of the party through proper procedure. He pointed out that his son had proved to be a dynamic and energetic leader of the party. “I did not nominate him. It was the former provincial president of the party Ameer Haider Khan Hoti who proposed his name and the proposal was endorsed by the party’s executive council in the intra-party polls,” he maintained.
Asfandyar Wali said that Aimal Wali reorganised the party and mobilized its workers across the province. However, he hastened to add that all members of the party must show discipline and toe the party line. “Some party leaders lost their basic membership for violating party rules and discipline,” he recalled. He ruled out the impression that the ANP leadership had reached a compromise with the military establishment before the 2018 general election, but the party was ditched. “The ANP cannot even think of compromising on its principles. We were the most popular party in the province before and after the election,” he said while emphatically denying the allegation.