PESHAWAR, Aug 16: Awami National Party president Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan on Monday warned that there would be a 1971-like situation in the country if the centre failed to remove the sense of deprivation among the smaller provinces.
Speaking at the 'Meet the Press' programme of the Peshawar Press Club, Mr Khan said that the Kalabagh dam proposals had been rejected by the smaller provinces, but the centre had remained unmoved.
"Only Punjab has voted in favour of the Kalabagh dam, yet the federal government feels bound to build it. Even President Musharraf has been talking of building big dams," he said, adding that the NWFP and other provinces had suggested Bhasha dam as an alternative reservoir project but no attention was paid to it.
Accompanied by Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Begum Nasim Wali Khan and other ANP leaders, he alleged that the centre always treated the smaller provinces as subservient to Punjab.
"Punjab is Pakistan and Pakistan is Punjab. Such a situation will spell disaster for the country. The 1971 dismemberment of the country was caused due to differences between the centre and the provinces and today the situation is the same," he pointed out.
Criticizing the centre, Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan said the federal structure of the government was restricted to papers as practically there was no federal form of government in the country as had been agreed upon by all the political parties in the shape of the 1973 constitution.
"The 1973 constitution should be adopted in letter and in spirit to empower the federating units. Otherwise, history would repeat itself," he warned. About of net hydel profit issue, the Awami National Party chief said the federal government should transfer the profit to the NWFP from the federal consolidated fund like it did in case of the Sui gas royalty to Balochistan.
Referring to the accountability process, he claimed that it was aimed at political victimization and said that the politicians once wanted to the National Accountability Bureau were now in the federal cabinet. Senator Khan also spoke on the Wana operation and the ongoing Pakistan-India peace process.
