July 19, 2007	Thursday	Rajab 03, 1428

SWABI, July 18: The Awami National Party will continue struggle for provincial autonomy, saying that without this rivalry between Centre and provinces will continue in one form or the other.

Addressing party workers at Maneri Bala, former MNA Rehmanullah said on Wednesday that if the provincial autonomy was not granted by the federal government to provinces then rivalry between provinces and the federal government would harm the country and its people.

“The provincial autonomy is the only panacea to all daunting problems faced by the country,” he said.

“The rulers should realise the gravity of the situation and the sense of deprivation prevailing among the people.”

MPA Amir Rehman demanded that a total control over their resources should be given to provinces and only Punjab should not be in control of all resources of the country.

“The progress and stability of the country now depended only on the provincial autonomy and it has been advocated by ANP stalwarts and our party still upholds this principle firmly.”

He said the ANP leadership stuck to the non-violence philosophy of late Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and it wanted to achieve its rights through constitutional, legal and democratic means.

Jehan Zeb Khan, former district nazim and ANP district general secretary, said the provincial autonomy was a pre-requisite for a stronger Pakistan and if rulers failed to accept this demand, they would be responsible for all consequences.

The war on terror, he said, had been fought on Pukhtuns’ soil which had already inflicted a great loss to them and it could harm them further.

The Pukhtun community, he said, had been passing through a critical phase and they must shun their differences and work together to face this situation with unity.

Information secretary Muhammad Rashid also spoke on the occasion.