ANP demands action against terrorists

NOWSHERA: Expressing concern over the fresh wave of terror gripping Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country, Awami National Party Secretary General Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Friday demanded action against terrorists and those who had released them from prisons after inking dubious agreement with them.

“We are concerned at the frequent attacks on the security forces, police and common people. Restoring peace in the country is the foremost duty of the government,” he said while speaking at a party workers convention in his hometown, Pabbi tehsil of the Nowshera district.

The ANP leader said there should be an end to the distinction between good and bad Taliban. “A blanket action should be taken against them,” he demanded.

Mian Iftikhar condemned the recent suicide bombing at the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl workers convention at the Khar town of the Bajaur tribal district which had claimed over 60 lives.

“It was a dastardly act. ANP has always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We will continue to oppose such acts,” he added.

He accused the United States of playing a double-game in the region. “The US is employing different tactics to fail the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

It is holding talks with the Afghan Taliban set-up in Doha, Qatar, on the one hand, and reorganizing Daesh, on the other,” he alleged.

Elaborating on his statement, the ANP leader said China resolved the issues between Iran and Saudi Arabia for the success of the CPEC. “It brought Afghanistan and the Russian Federation closer. All these developments are not liked by the US,” he pointed out.

Mian Iftikhar said this region had been facing disquiet for the last over 40 years. “Pakhtuns are being killed on both sides of the border,” he lamented.

He said there was a relevant calm in the country during the Ashraf Ghani rule in Afghanistan. “But a surge in acts of terror has been seen of late. “The responsibility for this rests with those who inked “a fake” agreement with terrorists and allowed freedom to 40,000 of them,” he added.

The ANP leaders urged the party workers to fully take part in the membership drive. “Take the party message to every nook and corner of the country,” he advised the workers.