NOWSHERA: ANP’s central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain has condemned the provincial government for not allowing them to commemorate the death anniversary of his son, Mian Rashid Hussain, in the Nishtar Hall, Peshawar.

While addressing a public meeting at the sixth death anniversary of Mian Rashid here on Sunday, he said that it was ANP which made the Nishtar Hall functional and allowed the political parties like Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan People’s Party to arrange their functions in it.

He claimed that the PTI would not have been able to form the government in the province had the ANP workers not rendered sacrifices.

The performance of both the provincial and central governments reflects that they have soft corner for terrorist groups as they never condemned the targeted killing of our party leaders and workers, he lamented.

He said the provincial government had never announced compensation for the ANP workers who go killed during the violence.

Special songs were sung on the occasion. However, the song written by Mian Iftikhar “ma che de qam gata qawala Khana, temae baile, jana temae baile” charged the gathering emotionally.

Social workers, doctors and politicians, including former lawmakers Masud Abbas, Pervez Ahmad Khan, ANP district president Malik Juma Khan, general secretary Khushal Khan and others, addressed the ceremony.

Mr Iftikhar said if the provincial and central governments did not change their attitude towards the targeted killing of ANP leaders, then the party would knock the doors of the International Human Rights Commission for justice. He said the government should form a judicial commission to probe the targeted killings.

Mian Iftikhar said the federal government had awarded Bashir Bilour the Tamgha-i-Shujat and him Tamgha-i-Hilal in recognition of their sacrifices, but the provincial government even refused to allow them to observe death anniversaries of their fallen workers at Nishter Hall.

He said Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia and America should join hands against terrorists.

He said that Mian Rashid Shaheed Foundation had been formed to serve the people without political affiliation. The foundation would particularly extend help to the sons whose fathers died in the war on terror.

On the occasion, some people announced donations for the foundation.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2016