ANP stages rally to mark death anniversaries of Baacha Khan, Wali Khan

Marking the death anniversaries of their leaders Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known as Baacha Khan, and Wali Khan, the Awami National Party’s Sindh chapter organised a peace rally around the Karachi Press Club on Saturday afternoon.

The ANP workers wearing white dresses and holding the party’s red flags took out rallies from various parts of the city and gathered at the press club.

At the end of the rally, the speakers in their speeches declared Baacha Khan and Wali Khan, who died in January 1988 and January 2006 respectively, the true campaigners for non-violence and reforms in Pashtun society, and paid tribute to them for the campaign.

ANP Sindh president Shahi Syed said that Baacha Khan and his fellows always remained in the opposition as his struggle was not for power but for the improvement of the lives of the people.“The entire Pashtun community takes pride in their leaders,” he said.

He said that politics, whose foundation was laid down by Baacha Khan and was subsequently followed by Wali Khan, was based on pro-democracy and anti-imperialism principles.

Senator Hafiz Hamdullah, a central leader of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-Fazl, ANP Sindh secretary general Younas Buneri, noted trade union leader Manzoor Razi and other also spoke at the rally.

Party activists will pay tribute to Baacha Khan and Wali Khan at a rally to be held today (Sunday) at the Bacha Khan Markaz, the party’s provincial secretariat, in the Pirabad area.

In the past few days, the party‘s district offices, its sister organisations, such as Pasthun Students Federation, National Lawyers Forum and Women Wing, also held Quran Khwani and condolence gatherings across the city.