KARACHI, April 4: The president of Awami National Party, Sindh chapter, Shahi Syed, has conceded that the common man particularly the Pukhtuns are fed up with the tall claims of politicians because they have failed to deliver during the last 50 years.
That was the reason, he said, why the turnout in protest demonstrations was becoming thinner and thinner. People were also staying away because the leaders were not raising their issues of bread and butter, he added.
Although opposition parties, particularly Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal, Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Peoples Party had been in forefront in staging protest demonstrations and organizing rallies against the ongoing Wana operation in South Waziristan, the ANP with strong base in NWFP, appeared not so active except holding a few protest meetings from its own platform.
In Karachi, where the ANP activists used to participate in all protest rallies organized from the opposition platforms, this time they were keeping themselves aloof even from the issue that was directly related to them as the army operation centre was located in the NWFP.
Why the ANP was not the part of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy? Political observers said that ANP leadership had reservations with the programme of ARD as it is not clear even on the issue of provincial autonomy.
The ANP high command considered that in the past PPP and PML-N who had been in power had betrayed the party on the issue of provincial autonomy. The ANP this time did not like to join them without clear cut policy over the autonomy issue, the ANP leader said.
Mr Syed, who was elected as provincial chief of ANP a few months back, recalled his experience of organizing the party rally on the eve of 16th death anniversary of Bacha Khan in Karachi. Although the turnout of ANP workers was big enough, he said, he was not satisfied with the outcome of his efforts.
In reply to a question, he told Dawn, "There is a need to give a jolt to people to arouse them as their pressing issues pertaining to daily routine of life will go on increase if they remain docile."
Mr Syed said that he was not a politician in the sense this jargon was generally used. His entire family being the followers of Bacha Khan remained committed to the principle of non-violence and ANP politics, he said. However, he claimed that he had been looking after the family business when the party friends compelled him to come forward and play his role in re-activating the party cadres.
After his election as the president of Sindh ANP, he said that he was more interested to infuse new spirit among the party workers so that they could play a role in the next local body as well as general elections. He was of the view that until the party would not send its own leaders to the assemblies, the problems of their townships were not going to solve.
For example, he said, the strength of Pukhtuns in Karachi alone was over one million but they failed to send their party candidate to assemblies as they lack unity in their rank and file.He said that he was trying to create awareness among Pukhtuns rather than mobilizing them on emotional slogans.
Regarding the ongoing operation in South Waziristan, ANP central joint secretary Amin Khattak said that Pukhtuns had no link with Al Qaeda or any other extremists' group, as the party believed in the principle of non-violence given by veteran leader of the freedom movement Bacha Khan.
"The ongoing Wana operation, which the government describes as a drive to flush out foreigners hiding in the area, is nothing but a punishment for Pukhtuns whose support was earlier sought by Gen Zia to strengthen Taliban government. However, now they (Pukhtuns) are being accused of having link with Al Qaeda and Taliban," he said.
