October 24, 2007	Wednesday	Shawwal 11, 1428

LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Oct 23: Apparently launching their election campaigns in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, activists of various political parties have demanded formation of an interim government of national consensus and the extension of the Political Parties Act to the tribal areas.

Despite a ban on the activities of political parties in the Fata, almost all the major political and religious parties have started their spadework here for the upcoming general elections.

The parties have even invited nominations from interested candidates from various constituencies located in the tribal areas, despite the fact that the candidates are not allowed to contest elections from the platform of their respective political parties.

Announcing their full-fledged participation in the coming elections, the Awami National Party in a meeting held in Landi Kotal on Tuesday exhorted the government to extend the Political Parties Act to the Fata without any further delay. The party’s Khyber Agency chapter president, Abdur Rahim Afridi, chaired the meeting.

The participants of the meeting observed that the prevailing situation in the tribal areas was not conducive for holding the general elections and urged the government to take concrete steps for improving the law and order situation there.

The meeting unanimously decided that the ANP would put up its candidates for both the constituencies in the Khyber Agency and would nominate suitable candidates.

Meanwhile, the Fata Muslim League-N has demanded the resignation of Gen Musharraf and the formation of a national government before the coming general elections.

In a meeting held in Bara, the party activists strongly condemned the army operations in the tribal areas and demanded an immediate halt to these operations.

The so-called war against terrorism has put the very integrity of the country at stake and has made the country’s western borders highly insecure, the meeting observed.

The meeting said a national government of all moderate, nationalist and religious parties will effectively tackle the internal and external threats being faced by the country.

Participants of the meeting argued that as long as Gen Musharraf was in power, peace could not be restored and terrorism could not be controlled in the country, especially in the tribal areas.