ANP decides to join PPP’s long march

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday formally decided to back and participate in Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) long march against the federal government to be launched on February 27 from Karachi.

Talking to the media after hours-long meeting with Pakistan PPP delegation at Bacha Khan Markaz, the ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that his party had formally accepted the invitation to support and participate in the PPP long march against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government.

The PPP delegation led by the former federal minister and central leader of the PPP Syed Khurshid Shah visited Bacha Khan Markaz on Monday where they met the central and provincial leadership of the Pakhtun nationalist party.

The provincial president of the PPP Najmu-ud-Din Khan, PPP provincial information secretary MPA Amjad Afridi and others were also present on the occasion.

ANP’s central finance secretary Senator Hidayatullah Khan, former Senator Syed Aqil Shah, Dr Khadim Hussain and others received the PPP delegation at Bacha Khan Markaz and held hours-long negotiations.

It was the second visit of the PPP delegation led by Khurshid Shah to the central secretariat of the ANP in Peshawar. Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the ANP would fully support all constitutional and political means against the present government which he believed was elected to power through bogus means.

“The ANP’s decision to participate in the PPP long march was made after consultation of the party think-tank,” he said and added that the long march would prove the last nail in the coffin of the present government.

He said that on one hand, Transparency International had put Pakistan in the list of the worst corrupt countries while on the other the ‘selected’ prime minister had awarded the most corrupt ministers of his government. “Unprecedented price hike, inflation and unemployment had reached its climax under the present government,” he said and added that the PTI government had lost the justification to remain in

He suggested that Prime Minister Imran Khan should resign from the office himself and announce fresh general elections in the country.

To a question, the ANP leader said that their party would fully participate in the second phase of local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the party believes in democratic practice and devolution of power at the grassroots level.

Speaking on the occasion, Syed Khurshid Shah said that the protest long march would be launched from Karachi on February 27 and after passing through different cities and towns would reach the federal capital.

“The PTI government would go before the long march reaches Islamabad,” the PPP leader hoped and said that at the same time the opposition parties would expedite efforts for a no-trust motion against the prime minister.

He said that due to the failed and poor economic policy, the country was on the verge of collapse and the people of Pakistan had witnessed the worst crisis during the present government.

The PPP leader said all the democratic forces and genuine political parties must join hands against the present rulers, adding the opposition parties had agreed on single-point agenda to send the “selected government” packing.