04 October 2004	Monday	18 Shaban 1425

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KARACHI, Oct 3: Chief of the Awami National Party Asfandyar Wali Khan has warned the Establishment against creating political vacuum by removing mainstream political parties from the scene.

"If the Establishment failed to pay attention to smaller provinces' grievances and did not refrain from making attempts to sideline political forces, extremists would sneak into politics to fill the vacuum thus created," he cautioned.

Talking to Dawn informally, the ANP chief referred to the situation in South Waziristan and Balochistan following military operations there, and said the government was not taking it seriously.

He recalled that the former prime minister, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, had announced setting up of a parliamentary committee, with Senators and MNAs as its members. To be headed by the premier himself, the committee was supposed to open dialogue with leaders in Balochistan. September 29 was proposed as the date for its first meeting.

However, Mr Khan regretted, setting up of such a committee had not yet been notified. "If people did form an opinion about the government, it would be difficult for the rulers to change the perception even if the government came out with facts," he said.

He was of the view that the situation in Wana was the outcome of the lack of coordination between the concerned political agents and the military authorities. In this context, he pointed out that about 150 foreigners had expressed their readiness to get themselves registered at the place of Malik Khanzada.

The military authorities had also welcomed the development. In the meantime, however, the political agent changed the specified venue and insisted that the they must turn up at his office for the purpose. This created doubts over the authorities' intentions, he claimed, adding that the situation started deteriorating afterwards.

Similarly, the ANP leader said that the Peshawar High Court Bar Association had formed a team when authorities allowed it to visit the troubled area, but the team was stopped at Tank and not permitted to go to South Waziristan. Even journalists had not been allowed into that area which stirred up all sorts of rumours and raised questions about the operation.

Mr Khan's attention was drawn to the situation where law-enforcement agencies were still being attacked despite lifting of economic blockade earlier imposed on Waziri tribe, he said that economic blockade was separate issue. The military operation had not yet been stopped and the attacks on army appeared to be the reaction, he added.

"I failed to understand that a crackdown on Taliban and Al-Qaeda elements is under way in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Nawabshah, etc., but the military operation has been launched in Waziristan." The ANP chief stressed that provincial autonomy was the only solution to all problems which guaranteed progress of each province and prosperity of their people.

In reply to a question, Asfandyar Wali Khan said that extremist forces, at the movement, had no stronghold and they appeared scattered. However, he added, the policies pursued by the government would lead to a situation where they would be able to reorganize themselves and forge unity to gain strength.

He stressed the need for a realistic approach to be adopted by the rulers. "They must change their mindset and stop labelling patriots as traitors just because of their act of demanding their legitimate rights."

Regarding the water issue, Mr Khan said no doubt the country needed major water reservoirs but the feasibility of Bhasha dam indicated that its life span would be unlimited, as compared to 45 years of Kalabagh dam.

The power generation capacity of Bhasha dam would be up to 900MW more than Kalabagh dam. "Despite the clear difference, why are the rulers insisting on the Kalabagh dam, and that also despite the reservations by the three smaller provinces?"

Moreover, he added, Bhasha dam would also enhance the life span of Terbela Dam by 35 years. He contested the government's claim that the cost of Bhasha dam construction would be much more than that of Kalabagh dam, saying that the estimate of Kalabagh dam was determined in 1985 and if the estimate was reviewed now, it would go much higher than what was being estimated in the case of Bhasha dam.

Commenting on the failure of the political governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in granting provincial autonomy in accordance with the 1973 Constitution, the ANP chief said: "In Pakistan, real transfer of powers has never taken place."