Late Wali Khan praised for political struggle

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Aimal Wali Khan on Thursday said that late Abdul Wali Khan always fought for the rights of oppressed and was the true face of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement of Bacha Khan.

He was speaking at a function at the Bacha Khan Markaz, the headquarters of ANP, here. It was arranged for Safiullah Marwat who had completed his doctoral thesis on the political legacy of Abdul Wali Khan. Aimal Wali Khan said history had vindicated the stance of the late ANP leader and today people from all walks of life were convinced that his predictions about the region proved right.

Safiullah Marwat said that he had tried to cover the political struggle of Khan Abdul Wali Khan. However, he admitted that he could not encompass his entire legacy and required more research from other scholars. He said he had obtained documents from Pakistan and the United States but could not find any proof of the allegations against the late ANP leader. He added that Wali Khan never compromised on his principles.

Managing Director of Bacha Khan Trust Education Foundation Dr Khadim Hussain said that Wali Khan was perhaps the only politician in the region who had openly expressed his narrative and stood by it till his death. He said the late leader continued the narrative in the National Awami Party, National Democratic Party and Awami National Party. Professor Dr Sohail Khan said the powerful circles had exercised all means to defeat Wali Khan in the electoral politics, adding even those who had won the election against Wali Khan had admitted that he was a great leader.

Other speakers lauded the late leader services in Pakistan’s parliamentary politics, including his role in the 1973 Constitution. They said that Wali Khan always worked for democracy in Pakistan and did not succumb to pressure from the powerful circles.