SWABI: Awami National Party central president Asfandyar Wali Khan on Thursday said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri would be held responsible if any harm was caused to democracy by their prolonged sit-ins in front of Parliament House in Islamabad.

He was addressing the convention of the party workers here. The event was part of the ANP exercise to reorganise itself in the province.

Asfandyar opposed the PTI and PAT sit-ins outside parliament house in Islamabad’s Red Zone and declared them illegal.

Also read: ‘Contained’: Imran, Qadri protest to the same tune

“Holding such demonstrations is illegal and unconstitutional as they could derail democracy in the country. We oppose the two sit-ins,” he said.

Asfandyar says army wants to strengthen democratic order in country

The ANP chief said the army had urged politicians to resolve their differences by themselves and end deadlock by dialogue, making it clear that the military wanted to strengthen democratic order in the country. He said both Imran and Qadri bent on harming democracy in the county.

“The country’s all political parties and democratic forces have rejected stubbornness of Imran and Qadri, who have been threatening a government elected by the people,” he said.

Asfandyar said Imran should focus on improving governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ruled by PTI and wait for the assemblies to complete five-year constitutional term.

He said if PTI won the next general elections, his and other parties would welcome its rule in the country.

“Winning elections is the only democratic way to change the government and come to power,” he said.

The ANP chief said it was an undemocratic way to ask the elected primer minister to step down and announce fresh general elections at gunpoint.

“It’s the democratic right of every leader and political party to demonstrate but the way Imran and Qadri are staging sit-ins is dangerous and against democratic norms,” he said.

Asfandyar said if the prime minister was forced to quit at gunpoint, it would not only cause a great damage to democracy in the country but would also be a disaster for the federation and unity of the county.

He said if the general elections were rigged, then the polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also engineered.

The ANP chief said he was shocked to see Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, who belonged to the PTI, dance during the sit-in in Islamabad at a time when torrential rains claimed 18 lives in Peshawar.

He said the PTI-led provincial government had ignored the misery of the internally displaced persons.

“The government should help IDPs from North Waziristan, who have left their houses for the country,” he said.

On the occasion, ANP general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain Shah said the PTI chief had failed to convince the people of the province to go to Islamabad for staging sit-in.

ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak said the opposition had tabled a no confidence motion against the chief minister to stop PTI from running away.

“We won’t allow the PTI leadership to run away. It will have to face the people of the province,” he said.

Former provincial chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, who was also in attendance, urged party activists to educate the people about the philosophy of ANP founder Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014