New Pak US ties to help reduce tension in region: Hoti

TAKHTBHAI: Awami National Party (ANP) leader and former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Saturday termed Field Marshal Asim Munir’s recent visit to the US as a positive step for Pak US relations, saying the sojourn would help reduce regional tension and restore bilateral ties.

Talking to a delegation of office bearers of the Takhtbhai Press Club (Registered) led by its president, Hoti said that it would have been even better, had the president and prime minister also been included in the delegation, so that the world could receive a stronger message about the stability of democracy in Pakistan.

He stressed that all institutions must operate strictly within their constitutional boundaries. Parliamentary supremacy and robust democratic traditions, he said, were the only sustainable answers to Pakistan’s internal and external challenges.

About the Iran-Israel conflict, Hoti warned that escalating tensions in the Middle East, especially between Israel and Iran, were pushing the entire region toward dangerous instability. He said the international community, and the US in particular, bore a heavy moral and diplomatic responsibility to restore peace. “Because of Washington’s well known leverage over Israel, the US could press for an immediate ceasefire. As a superpower, the US must work for global peace rather than offer unconditional support to its allies,” he pleaded.

To a question about past Pakistan–India conflicts, the ex-CM said Pakistan’s armed forces responded with exceptional bravery, professionalism, and national spirit, thwarting the enemy’s designs. The entire nation, he said, stood behind its soldiers and was ready to sacrifice for the defence of the homeland.

The nationalist leader also criticized the current provincial government, claiming that the KP chief minister was not fully autonomous in budget matters and was waiting for instructions from party founder Imran Khan.

“Allowing such informal influence over a critical constitutional and fiscal process, undermines provincial autonomy and democratic norms, weakens the legislative role of the provincial assembly, and erodes public trust. Delays in budget passage could, he warned, create a constitutional and financial crisis with irreparable damage to the province,” he added.