Defeat in by-polls: ANP likely to withdraw support to federal govt

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has decided to withdraw support to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led federal government after facing defeat in the October 16 by-elections, sources told The News on Thursday.

After an informal party meeting, the central and provincial leadership of the Pakhtun nationalist party felt that one of the reasons for its candidates’ defeat in the recent by-polls was its support to the federal government.

“The ANP would convene a meeting of its think-tank next week where the participants would review the party policy, by-elections results and devise a future plan of action,” an ANP leader, told this scribe while requesting that his name should not be disclosed.

Sources, privy to the informal meeting of the ANP leadership, said that the party would contact and engage Pakhtun nationalists, including Manzoor Pashteen of Pashtoon Tahafuz Movement (PTM), MNA Mohsin Dawer of the National Democratic Movement, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao of Qaumi Watan Party and Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party for launching a joint movement against the prolonged detention of MNA Ali Wazir, highlighting the missing persons cases in KP and Balochistan, demanding provincial rights and due share for the merged districts in the National Finance Commission as promised during the merger.

“The party think-tank would review re-organization of the party and launch politics on the pattern of PTM ahead of next general elections,” the sources said. Despite not being a part of the PDM, the ANP had supported the then opposition alliance in the protest movement against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and subsequent the vote of no- confidence against the then prime minister Imran Khan. It later formally extended support to the present federal government.

The ANP has two senators in the Upper House and one MNA in the Lower House of the Parliament but refused to be part of the federal cabinet after some important portfolios were offered to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl as part of the power-sharing formula. It declined to be in the race for the governor slot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the ruling alliance is yet to name a suitable person for the office which has been lying vacant for the last six months.

Provincial president of the ANP, Aimal Wali Khan, who was a joint candidate for NA-24 Charsadda in the by-polls had threatened during the election campaign to withdraw support to the federal government if the by-polls scheduled for October 16 were once again postponed at the request of the federal government.