MARDAN: Awami National Party, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president and MNA Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Monday criticised Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for not attending the National Security Council meeting in Islamabad and declared the act a blunder.

“The absence of the chief minister deprived the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as the internally displaced persons of North Waziristan Agency of representation in an important meeting. Had he been in attendance, the chief minister would have effectively highlighted the grievances, difficulties and hardships of the people directly or indirectly affected by the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan,” he said during a public meeting in the Ibrahim Khan village of the PK-23 constituency here.

On the occasion, Abdul Hameed Khan, his brother Shahi Mulk alias Bacha along with other family members announced the rejoining of the ANP after quitting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and expressed full confidence in the ANP leadership.

Hoti alleged Tehrik-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan was being used by undemocratic forces and that his only agenda was to derail democracy in the country. He said Imran Khan would not succeed in his bid to harm democracy or pave the way for dictatorship.

The ANP leader said the people had voted for the PTI in the 2013 general elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to change the current poor system of governance and end the politics of inheritance but the party had miserably failed to deliver during the rule of more than one year.

He urged Pakhtuns to forge unity to claim due rights and find a dignified place in society.

“Unity is the only way to give Pakhtuns prosperity and development,” he said.

Hoti said the PTI government should complete five-year constitutional term in office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but Imran Khan wanted lame excuses for party lawmakers to quit.

He said the PTI chief had planned to do away with his party’s government in the province to fulfil his dream of becoming the country’s prime minister.

The ANP leader said both the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments had miserably failed to serve IDPs and resolve their problems in camps.

Published in Dawn, Aug 12th, 2014