RAWALPINDI, Dec 20: Awami National Party (ANP) central President Asfandyar Wali Khan here on Monday dispelled an impression created by an interview given by party leader Ajmal Khattak and said there was no idea of an independent (Pakhtoon) state in the manifesto of his party.

In a statement, Mr Khan also made it clear that as per his party's manifesto, parliamentary politics could not be separated from the ideological politics.

In the interview given to a Pushto TV channel, Mr Khattak had reportedly said Pakhtoons should have their own "independent state and the ANP should play ideological politics for achieving that separate state by keeping away from the parliamentary politics it was practising at present."

Mr Khan alleged that some news agencies had released the contents of the interview after which it was published in a section of the press in a bid to achieve their hidden objectives.

"Being the central president of the party, I am compelled to clarify the wrong impression created by the interview after its appearance in some newspapers," he said.

About the 'ideological politics and separate state', Mr Khan said it could be the personal viewpoint of the veteran politician; however, there were no such things in the manifesto of the ANP. "Today, our ideological politics and parliamentary politics are in accordance with the spirit of the ANP manifesto", Mr Khan said.