ANP’s youth body elects new leadership for Sindh

Organisation to launch programme for
engaging city’s youth in mainstream politics

Members of the newly elected provincial cabinet of the National Youth Organization (NYO) – a sister organisation of the Awami National Party (ANP) - vowed to soon launch a programme to engage the city’s youth in mainstream politics, so as to stop them from falling prey to militant groups.

The cabinet had laid out its plans at a provincial council meeting, organised to elect officials for the organisation’s new Sindh cabinet, at the Bacha Khan Markaz, on Saturday. The elections were supervised by central chairperson of the ANP, Mohsin Dawar.

Aijaz Aslam and Imtiaz Khan were elected president and secretary general of the organization’s Sindh chapter respectively. Other office-bearers included Dost Muhammad (senior vice-president), Noman Khanzada (additional secretary general), Abdullah (secretary for cultural and educational affairs), Rana Waqas (secretary information) and Yousaf Khan (secretary finance).

Irfan Ghani, Adalat Khan, Damsaaz and Fatima Zaidi were elected vice-presidents, while Syed Kifayat Shah, Manzoor Elahi, Qasim Ali and Farooq Bangash were elected joint secretaries.

Dawar, who came to Karachi for restructuring the youth body’s provincial cabinet from Peshawar, said the NYO’s struggle aimed at creating a progressive and tolerant society.

“Considering that youth was the backbone of any political movement, the ANP had established the NYO two years ago. Today, the youth body has established its organisational structure in the entire country, including militancy-hit FATA,” Dawar told The News. 

Claiming that the organisation had made significant inroads in Karachi during the two years, Dawar said the youth body’s membership had reached 7,000 only in the metropolis – mainly because peace had been restored in the city.

“Two years ago, our leaders and workers were terrified because of militants’ continuous attacks on ANP leaders in the city.”

Aslam said the new cabinet would work on educating the youth politically by engaging them in peaceful political, cultural and social activities.

“The NYO offers membership to every young man and woman regardless of their religious beliefs and ethnicity, but those who believe in non-violence and were liberals,” he added.

Kamellah Khan Miankhel, the ANP’s central vice-president and Arshad Khan, NYO’s central secretary general, also attended the event.