PESHAWAR, Sept 21: Awami National Party’s additional deputy secretary-general Qazi Anwar has quitted active politics bringing an end to his 35-year-long political career and his nine years’ association with the ANP.

Apart from being the additional deputy secretary general of the party, he had also been member of the recently-constituted committee to prepare anti-Kalabagh dam documentary and was also chairman of the party’s parliamentary board which awarded party tickets to candidates contesting for the national and provincial assemblies’ constituencies from the NWFP.

Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday, Qazi Anwar announced his decision underlying that he wanted to concentrate more on social services and his responsibilities being the vice chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC).

Though he said he wanted to give up active politics because of old age, in response to a question, he said that being vice chairman of the PBC his stand against the Legal Framework Order was in clash with that of the ANP.

On this occasion, Qazi Anwar also announced the PBC’s intended move of launching long march against LFO from Lahore on Oct 13.

It had not yet been decided, said the PBC’s vice-chairman, whether the long march would be carried out by train or by bus. However, he added, members of the lawyers community would march from Lahore to Islamabad on October 13 to lodge their protest against the LFO.

On Oct 14, he added, lawyers’ convention would be organized at Islamabad to mark the day as a ‘black day’ being the anniversary of Oct 14, 1999 when emergency was enforced and Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) was introduced following the military’s take over two days earlier.

Without naming ANP or any other political party he said that “political parties have there own reservations regarding LFO, but after ending party affiliation I will be able to openly oppose LFO and struggle against it”.

He said that the LFO was posing the biggest threat to Pakistan’s federation and democracy and PBC’s struggle against it would continue till the time the 1973’s Constitution of the country was not restored in its original form.

Replying to questions about his decision to end active political career, he rejected that he had any differences with the ANP.

“I thank Begum Nasim Wali for the respect she given to me since my joining ANP ranks in Nov 1994,” said Qazi Anwar, adding that “I have not disassociated myself from the ANP to join certain other political party”.

“ I’ll not join any other political till I last,” he said. However, he evaded to reply when asked to comment about the ANP at the time he had joined it and its current political standing.

Before joining ANP in November 1994, Qazi Anwar remained associated with the PPP for well over 25 years since late 1968.