LAHORE, Nov 18: Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali says his party’s policy on Afghanistan is the same which was some 15 years ago and adherence to it does not mean that the ANP has started supporting the Musharraf government.

Talking to Dawn here on Sunday, he said his party did not recognize Gen Pervez Musharraf as president and was of the opinion that the elections should be held as early as possible to return the country to democracy.

ANP senior vice-president Ehsan Wyne was also present.

Asfandyar said for the past one decade and a half his party had consistently been demanding an end to foreign interference in Afghanistan, convening of a Loya Jirga and the establishment of a broad-based government in Kabul. “What the present government is saying today is what the ANP has been demanding for the past 15 years. This means the government has boarded our boat and not the vice versa,” Asfandyar said.

“How will you justify the ANP’s decision to quit the ARD for the sake of an issue which was not part of the alliance’s charter?” he was asked.

He said Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan’s statement that the ANP had differences with him was not correct. Being a political party, he contended, the ANP had differences over the policy and not the person of the senior leader.

For other parties, he said, Afghanistan could be one of the many issues, but for the ANP it was of fundamental importance as whatever had happened in Afghanistan, or would happen in future, would have a direct bearing on the body-politick of Pakistan.

He said, unfortunately, ARD leaders had divergent views on this question after which it was not possible for them to speak with one voice from a common platform. A smooth sailing would not have been possible for the alliance if its president and the secretary-general were talking of jihad against the United States and the ANP came up with quite a different point of view.

Mr Asfandyar said since Afghanistan was the most important subject of the day, it was not possible for any political leader to skip it, no matter what platform he got to speak from. He said unanimity of views on the issue was not possible and divergence could create problems for the alliance. He said it was for this reason that the ANP decided to bid farewell to the ARD.

He answered in the negative when asked if some middle way was not possible for the ANP to stay on in the alliance.

He said both sides (supporters and opponents of jihad) had gone to extreme positions and only a retreat by either could have saved the situation. But, he said, it was not possible for either side. He argued that had a middle way been possible, the ARD should have worked it out after the ANP had left the alliance. But, he said, the alliance could not do so.

“The PML government, of which the ANP was a coalition partner, was the one which had recognized the Taliban government. If you were consistent in your policy, why had you not quit the government then (as you have left the ARD now)”? he was asked.

Asfandyar Wali said conditions in Afghanistan were not the same during the PML period as they were now. Even six months back the situation in Afghanistan was quite different. He said he could not remember that only half a year ago any reporter would have asked any leader a question about Afghanistan.

He said the ANP stayed with the ARD till the situation took the turn as it was today.

The ANP president said he had reiterated his party’s point of view from every platform he got an opportunity to speak from.