ANP wants APC on extension of military courts

Asfandyar says Imran should be given award for
being loyal to Nawaz more than Nisar; death anniversaries of Bacha Khan, Wali Khan observed

CHARSADDA: Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Sunday suggested convening an All Parties Conference (APC) on the issue of extension in military courts. He said the PTI chief Imran Khan is loyal to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif more than Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and for this he should be given an award.

Speaking at a gathering to mark the death anniversaries of freedom fighter Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who is commonly known as Bacha Khan, and his son and political heir Abdul Wali Khan, he said consultation with all political parties before any decision on the military courts would help the government in reaching a viable option.

The death anniversaries were jointly organised in Charsadda this time. Normally, the event is held in Peshawar.   Party workers and sympathisers wearing the ANP’s red caps came in significant numbers from many parts of the province to join the gathering. Slogans were raised in support of the ANP leaders and its policies.

The ANP chief asked the government to brief the political parties on the progress on the National Action Plan (NAP) for effectively tackling extremism and terrorism. He deplored the government’s separate approaches towards the victims of the Army Public School Peshawar and Bacha Khan University, Charsadda. He asked the government to provide the same compensation package to the victims' families of the tragedies to meet the expectations of heirs of those martyred in the terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University.

The ANP chief said that his party was not against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but wanted the government to give the Pakhtuns their rightful share in the multi-billion dollar project. “The ANP is fighting for the rights of Pakhtuns in CPEC,” he stressed.

Asfandyar Wali said the government would not be provided an opportunity to escape if it didn’t give due share to the Pakhtuns in the CPEC. He asked for the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ANP chief stressed the need for allocating seats for Fata in the national and provincial assemblies through a constitutional package. He demanded a comprehensive development package for Fata before its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ANP chief said that Bacha Khan and Wali Khan would be remembered for their opposition to oppression and their struggle for peace in the region.

Mohammad Riaz Mayar adds from Mardan: A large number of ANP activists from the Mardan district gathered in the city and drove in a long procession to Charsadda to attend the death anniversary event of Bacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan. The procession was led by provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti, who is a former chief minister, Mardan district president Himayatullah Mayar, lawmakers Ahmad Khan Bahadur and Gohar Ali Shah and district office-bearers and local leaders.