TIMERGARA: Awami National Party provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti said on Friday that his party would not let the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in the province to become ‘political martyr’ in order to get sympathies of Pakhtun voters.

Talking to mediapersons at the residence of district councillor Wasil Khan in Chakdara, the ANP leader said that the federal government should focus on the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, issuance of National Finance Commission award, inclusion of Pakhtun belt in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and restoration of bilateral ties with Afghanistan.

Lower Dir district president Hussain Shah Yousafzai, central leader Zahir Shah Khan and nazim Mehmood Zeb were also present on the occasion.

Mr Hoti said that it was strange that the KP chief minister was levelling corruption allegations against his ministers and vice versa. “We haven’t seen such a government in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Mr Hoti said, adding that people of the province would support ANP in the next general elections.

Asks federal govt to focus on Fata-KP merger, NFC award

He said that PTI had been misleading the youth on mere slogans of ending corruption and making ‘Naya’ Pakistan. He said that the provincial government had failed to deliver and now it wanted to become a ‘political martyr’, but ANP would not let it run away. “It is the right of KP Assembly members to table a no-confidence motion against the chief minister and in that case the ANP would take a decision after consultations with the workers,” he said.

He said that the country was confronted with serious national and international challenges and any tussle among national institutions could pose serious threats to its integrity. He said that all matters should be resolved constitutionally.

The ANP leader also criticised Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, saying that on the one hand he had been raising the issue of Article 62 and 63, on the other he was supporting the PTI chief who had been facing ‘charges of immorality’.

He said that ANP would contest the next general elections without making alliance with other political parties.

Meanwhile, scores of JI workers at Mani Ban and Shiekhan joined ANP during a function. Speaking on the occasion, district councillor Mukhtiar Khan claimed that JI had done nothing for the welfare of local people during last 30 years.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2017