ANP demands fresh polls to get country out of crises

NOWSHERA: Accusing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of causing irreparable damage to the economy, the Awami National Party (ANP) on Friday demanded mid-term polls to bring the country out of the present crises.

“The present PTI government is the product of rigging. It should be sent packing as soon as possible and fresh elections held without the interference of any state institution which should be free, fair and transparent,” said ANP secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain. He was speaking at a seminar arranged by the ANP at Taru Jabba in the Nowshera district to mark the International Day of Non-Violence which is marked on October 2 the world over. The ANP leader said the Constitution is the supreme document of the country which had defined the roles of various state institutions and hence all were bound by it. Mian Iftikhar said the choice and mandate of the masses should be respected and those winning the ballot should be allowed to form the government in future.

The ANP veteran lamented that the price-hike had skyrocketed and unemployment gone up due to the ill-conceived policies of the PTI government which, he believed, had no vision. He was critical of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) role and said it had become controversial as the PTI government was using it for furthering own political gains and victimizing the political opponents. The ANP leader said even the apex court of the country had noted that the NAB was being used for political engineering, arm-twisting of political rivals to force them to change their loyalties.

“The very concept of justice is being questioned by all and sundry due to the utterly disputed role the NAB is playing and it is a serious issue to ponder over,” said Mian Iftikhar while elaborating on his earlier assertions. He said the political activities had gone up in the country of late and that was why the opposition parties had felt to join hands for a united struggle for democracy. Mian Iftikhar said the political parties should work in unison to bring the country out of the present crisis.

The ANP leader said non-violence was needed the most at the present time. He deplored that violence was increasing all over the world. He said Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, lovingly called Bacha Khan, was a great visionary who had raised the slogan of non-violence long before and struggled throughout his life to convince his followers of this great concept.

Mian Iftikhar said non-violence was such a force which could be used to counter violence and all types of terrorism. Other party leaders, including Mian Tameezuddin, Abbas Khan and Zar Ali Khan also spoke on the occasion.