PESHAWAR: Former member of the Awami National Party (ANP), Senator Azam Khan Hoti on Monday accused party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and Senator Afrasiab Khattak of entering into a “secret pact” with the United States.

Hoti claimed Asfandyar Wali Khan and Senator Afrasiab Khattak had “sold out the party” for a sum of 35 million dollars.

Earlier this month, the party’s organising committee had terminated the party membership of the senior leader for violation of party discipline. The committee expelled the leader for leveling “baseless” allegations and using foul language against senior leadership.

Speaking at a press conference here today, Hoti leveled another barrage of accusations against the top leadership. Hoti said that the Asfandyar Wali and Khattak had travelled to the US for negotiations and that the two “disappeared” for a period of ten days.

He said the two accepted money to enter into a secret pact with the US against the interests of the “Pashtun homeland”.

Failing to provide any documentary evidence to back his claims, Hoti said that such pacts do not have any records, receipts or written agreements. However, he stated that the secret agreement was against the interests of the party and the “Pashtun nation”.

Azam Hoti is the father of former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti and a brother-in-law of Asfandyar Wali Khan. He has previously held Asfandyar responsible for the party’s massive defeat in general elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

He has also previously said in a statement that it was necessary to separate Mr Asfandyar from the party leadership and keep him away from its affairs to save it from collapse.

Meanwhile, the ANP rejected Hoti’s claims as "baseless accusations" leveled against the party.

ANP's Zahid Khan said Hoti had effectively rejected his own claims by saying he had no documentary evidence to support them.

Speaking outside the Parliament House in Islamabad, Khan said that conspiracies and failed attempts to topple the ANP leadership was not a new phenomenon, and Hoti’s allegations were a continuation of the same phenomenon. Khan questioned why Hoti had not raised the allegations while he was enjoying the perks of being a minister during the previous ANP government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.