Hoti wants Rana Sanaullah to exercise caution before passing remarks

NOWSHERA: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti on Friday condemned the scuffle between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers and asked Imran Khan not to support his party legislators on such occasion as it would set wrong precedents and ultimately harm democracy.

The nationalist politician also criticised Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s anti-Pakhtuns statement and advised him to exercise extreme caution before passing remarks on sensitive issues.

He was speaking at a public meeting in the Kheshgi area here. On the occasion, Murad Ali resigned from the PTI and announced joining the ANP. Haider Hoti said that all the parliamentarians should exercise restraint and uphold sanctity of the National Assembly.

The ANP leader said the statement of Rana Sanaullah had hurt the feelings of Pakhtuns, adding such irresponsible statements could harm national unity. “The discrimination against Pakhtuns in Punjab would weaken the federation,” he added.

He said the Pakhtuns were also Pakistanis and could go anywhere in the country they wanted. He asked Pakistan and Afghanistan to solve their differences. Haider Hoti thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for merging the tribal areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He called for empowering the members National Assembly from Fata to devolve the powers to the grassroots level. The ANP leader hoped his party would sweep the 2018 general election. “We will push the Tsunami back to Banigala,” he said with a reference to the PTI chief Imran Khan residence in Islamabad. He asked certain party leaders to strengthen the party and abide by the party discipline or  disciplinary action would be taken against them.