CHARSADDA: Awami National Party’s central leader Asfandyar Wali Khan has said that the federal government is in a state of confusion about peace talks with Taliban and called for convening an in-camera session of parliament on the issue.

Addressing a public meeting on Sunday here at Wali Bagh in connection with the death anniversaries of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Khan Abdul Wali Khan, he said that the federal government seemed indecisive and confused about negotiations with Taliban. A large number of party workers attended the anniversary gathering amid tight security.

“The government should at least convene an in-camera session of parliament and brief the parliamentarians about the status of dialogue with Taliban,” he said while criticising the policy of the federal and KP governments about tackling militancy in tribal areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ANP leader said that both the federal and provincial governments had failed to establish the writ of the state.

He said that people had given mandate to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in elections for restoration of peace, but these parties had disappointed masses.

“The federal interior minister has been saying that talks with Taliban are in progress, but we don’t see any dialogue,” Asfandyar Wali said and urged the federal government to take his party into confidence on the process of negotiations with Taliban.

He said that the coalition government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could not absolve itself from responsibilities by blaming the federal government for the mess.

He said that law and order was the prime responsibility of the provincial government and asked the PTI and its allies to admit their failure.

Asfandyar Wali criticised the federal government’s Afghan policy and said that the ANP should be taken into confidence on the issue.

He said that certain political parties were trying to portray Pakhtuns as terrorists by blocking Nato supplies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He challenged the PTI and its coalition partners to organise sit-in protests in Karachi and Punjab to block the Nato supplies.

He said that the PTI was holding protests against price hike in Lahore while it had selected Peshawar for blocking Nato supplies and US drone strikes.

About construction of Kalabagh Dam, he castigated Govt confused about talks with Taliban: Asfandyar the policy of Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and said that Mr Sherpao had supported construction of the dam when he was interior minister in the government of Pervez Musharraf. Now, Mr Sherpao is opposing the same project to muster support of Pakhtuns, he added.

The ANP leader ruled out abolition of the 18th amendment and said that followers of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan had rendered great sacrifices for the provincial autonomy.

In Timergara, the Lower Dir ANP also observed the 26th death anniversary of Ghaffar Khan and eighth death anniversary of Wali Khan at Ouch on Sunday.

Party workers from the district attended the function. Local ANP leaders paid tribute to late Bacha Khan and Wali Khan, saying that the two leaders had suffered hardships for espousing the cause of the nation, particularly Pakhtuns.

Former minister Hidayatullah, district organiser Zahir Shah, Hussain Shah Yousafzai and others addressed the function.