14 May 2004	Friday	23 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

PESHAWAR, May 13: The ANP has said it is working on an alliance to bring together parties from smaller provinces to wage a joint struggle for provincial autonomy and federal democratic system in the country.

A statement issued here on Thursday said that a two-member team led by the party's central president Asfandyar Wali Khan and Afrasiab Khattak met Jamhouri Watan Party leader Nawab Mohammad Akbar Khan Bugti, National Party leaders Hasil Bizenjo and Abdul Hyee Baloch and National Democratic Party president Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari to discuss the proposition with them.

The statement said Asfandyar Wali Khan apprised the party leadership of his meetings with nationalist leaders in Sindh and Balochistan and termed his discussions on the formation of a nationalist alliance as satisfactory.

Those meetings, the statement added, had been held in line with the party's central working committee decision to work towards an alliance of nationalist parties to achieve provincial autonomy.

"The party believes that the future of the country's lay in strengthening the four federating units instead of making the centre stronger," the statement added. It termed the response of the nationalist leaders in Sindh and Balochistan as very positive, friendly and forthright and hoped that those meetings would greatly help in re-organizing the alliance of nationalist parties.

Mr Khattak told Dawn the ANP was working on forming an alliance of nationalist parties that believed in provincial autonomy and federal democracy. He said initially they were setting up contacts with nationalist parties that were outside the Ponam fold.

He said his party would also hold discussions with Ponam on a minimum programme for provincial autonomy and could discuss the possibility of a loose alliance that could encompass all parties which believed in granting maximum powers to the provinces. We are not excluding Ponam, he maintained. "We have a very inclusive approach," he added.

He expected a joint meeting of nationalist leaders after they reach consensus. "Things are changing very rapidly and we are preparing for that," he remarked.

Ajmal Khattak, Begum Nasim Wali Khan, Azam Hoti, Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Bashir Bilour, Farid Toofan, Syed Aqil Shah, Zahid Khan, Haji Mohammad Adeel, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Rehmanullah Khan also attended the meeting.