ANP leader criticises PTM

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial deputy general secretary Aimal Wali Khan has alleged that the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen was supported by some circles during its Islamabad protest sit-in.

A video clip of the young ANP leader, who is the son of the party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, went viral on the social media in which he has made the allegation. He said the Pashtun Action Committee went into the background and Manzoor Pashteen came to the forefront during the Islamabad protest and somebody provided him with a container to make speeches.

He said that ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and scores of other leaders and workers had attended the sit-in in Islamabad. He said Manzoor Pashteen continued the sit-in and made the announcement that they would not step back till the issue was resolved. "In the meantime, Afghan president tweeted in favour of the sit-in and everything changed. The container was taken back," he said.

ANP secretary foreign affairs Bashir Ahmad Matta tweeted, "Quite confusing. D party should clarify d matter at d central level, because this is an important & sensitive issue." When contacted, Bashir Ahmad Matta said there was nothing confusing about his tweet, saying that it was a sensitive issue and the party needed to provide the clarification. "Nobody is aware of the basis of this statement," he said, adding that the party had several tiers of the organisational structure and had a number of office-bearers but the central leadership was responsible for policy making.

He said important issues should be handled at the central level and provincial office-bearers could not make policies. When approached by this correspondent, the ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak and the party spokesperson Zahid Khan said that Aimal Wali Khan should be contacted for seeking his comments on the issue. However, Aimal Wali Khan neither received the calls nor responded to the text message sent on his cellphone about his comments.

Meanwhile, Aimal Wali contacted The News to explain his viewpoint. He repeated and defended some of the comments he had made earlier. He also said a few new things. According to Aimal Wali, PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen is being used as bait to identify people with opposite views.

When asked if he has any evidence to back up his claim, he said he had strong assumptions about this as such things have happened in Pakistan in the past also. He added that there is no proof of such things. Aimal Wali also referred to the victory of PTM leaders Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir in the July 25 general election from North Waziristan and South Waziristan to back his claims.