KOHAT, Jan 29: Begum Nasim Wali Khan, provincial president of the Awami National Party (ANP), has said her party will form an election alliance with the like-minded parties and make announcement in this regard after the election schedule.

She was talking to Dawn here at a public gathering in connection with Bacha Khan’s 14th death anniversary.

President Pervez Musharraf had personally assured her that the polls would be held on time, she said.

But she voiced concern over the condition of graduation for the parliamentarians.

She offered full support to President Musharraf in implementing his policies as they were in the interest of the country and in consonance with the ANP’s stance.

ANP leader said that her party strongly supported the government idea of bringing the tribal areas at par with other developed areas. But the government should implement its policies in tribal areas without harming the interests of the locals, she warned, as it was a sensitive issue.

Begum Wali said it was the success of ‘non-violence’ philosophy of late Bacha Khan and an honour for her party that today the rulers wanted to solve sensitive issues like Kashmir and Afghanistan by peaceful means.

She held Gen Ziaul responsible for his policies which caused destruction in Afghanistan.

ANP provincial chief regretted that during the Russian war and civil war in Afghanistan Pakhtoons suffered ultimately as they had been made to wage Jihad for Palestine and Saudi Arabia from their soil.

She condemned the form of Jihad being preached by the religious groups, which resulted in the killing of innocent people.

The ANP was making efforts to secure the release of Pakistanis languishing in different jails in Afghanistan, she told gathering. She hoped that soon a pact would be signed with the Afghan interim government on this issue.

She claimed that the Awami National Party was not a seasonal party and had never compromised with military and civil dictators. All other parties were the agents of centre and Punjab which wanted to usurp the rights of Pakhtoons.

Other ANP leaders— Bashir Bilour, Farid Toofan, Aurangzeb Advocate, Mian Iftikhar Shah and Haji Salamat Orakzai— also spoke on the occasion.

Death anniversary: Leaders of Awami National Party at a meeting held here on Sunday vowed to uphold the “non-violence” philosophy of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan.

The meeting had been convened to finalize arrangements for observing the 14th death anniversary of Bacha Khan in Swabi on Feb 7.

The anniversary is likely to be attended by Awami National Party central and provincial leaders, including Asfandyar Wali Khan, Begum Nasim Wali Khan, former federal minister Azam Hoti and others.

Speaking at the meeting, former MNA Haji Rehmanullah said that Swabi was the first home of Bacha Khan as the founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement he had started struggle for independence from the British colonial rulers from the Swabi district.

He said that Swabi would continue to remain a stronghold of the party, urging the Awami National Party leaders and workers to shun their internal differences and work for strengthening of the party.