Peace talks to be fruitless sans Afghan govt: Asfandyar

DUBAI: The Central President of Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan has anticipated that the current Afghan peace talks would not be successful without the inclusion of Afghan government.

Talking to The News, the ANP chief clearly stated that the representatives of Afghan government in the ongoing peace talks of Afghanistan should be onboard and consulted for meaningful dialogue. “Not only Taliban but the current Afghan government is also the representative of Afghanistan”, he stated.

Sharing his views about 40 year old conflict of Afghanistan, Asfandyar Wali recalled that his party had been declaring it “feud” (Fasaad) instead of “holy war” (Jihad) since the beginning of the conflict.

Replying to a question of The News about the political movement of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and the military establishment’s response in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Asfandyar clearly stated that every political problem can be resolved through dialogue and talks should be initiated as soon as possible for the betterment of the region. He said that Pakistan army lost their personnel and Pashtun families have also suffered too much due to conflicts.

Expressing surprise over the assets held by the prime minister’s sister Aleema Khan, Asfandyar enquired the question why only sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari was asked to appear before Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and not Aleema Khan. He reiterated his reservations over the selected accountability process which, he claimed, targets only the members of the opposition. He said, “When Nawaz Sharif’s sons; Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz have been asked to submit money trails then why Aleema Khan not interrogated?”

Asfandyar further added that the accountability institution let Aleema Khan off the hook by imposing fine only but the behaviour against PPP and PML-N leaders is completely different by the authorities.

The ANP president attended the gathering of various political leaders of different parties based in Dubai, arranged by the President of Awami National Party (ANP) UAE Abdullah Khan at his residence. The UAE chapter of ANP has arranged a “Bacha Khan” week to pay tribute to Pashtun visionary leader in Dubai, Abdullah Khan informed The News.