PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party has demanded the overhaul of the country’s ‘failed internal and external policies’ and called for the resolution of the country’s disputes with neighbours through negotiations.

A statement issued here on Tuesday said the ANP’s central council through a resolution observed that Pakistan stood isolated in the international community due to its hostile policies towards neighbouring countries.

ANP central president Asfandyar Wali Khan chaired the party’s central council meeting at the party central secretariat, which passed five resolutions.

“The country’s futile internal and external policies have created crisis-like situation and therefore, the country should get rid of such policies,” said one of the resolution.

Says Pakistan isolated due to hostilities towards neighbours

The council demanded that the government announce the eighth National Finance Commission Award and ensure the conducting of general census in the country.

It said the time period of the previous NFC Award had run out, while the government had yet to announce the new award.

The statement said the meetings of the Council of Common Interest hadn’t been convened according to the Constitution, while the delay in the holding general census created uncertainty among small federating units. The council asked the government to ensure implementation of 18th Constitution amendment in order to protect rights of suppressed ethnic groups.

Through another resolution the council condemned harassment of Afghan refugees and said that forced return of refugees was violation of international law and conventions. It said that time had come to develop cooperation with Afghanistan.

The ANP council expressed concern about the current wave of terrorism and condemned the ‘failure’ of the National Action Plan.

A resolution demanded elimination of the terrorists’ hideouts in Punjab.

It said the narrative of so-called good and bad terrorists was the root cause of terrorism and that the government should take parliament and political forces into confidence to make campaign against terrorism successful.

The resolution said after the Dec 2014 barbarism at the Army Public School Peshawar, terrorist attacks on the Bacha Khan University, carnage of Quetta lawyers, attack on Kabul university and recent terrorist attack in Mardan were part of a conspiracy to eliminate Pakhtun lawyers, intellectuals, students and teachers.

Another resolution demanded the immediate merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It said the people of Fata should be given representation in the KP Assembly in the next general elections and that the government should make the required amendments to the constitution for the purpose.

The resolution said the people of Fata should also be given equal representation in the provincial cabinet.

The council observed Punjab’s monopoly was being established over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had usurped the rights of people of Balochistan, KP and Fata by violating the multi-party conference’s decisions.

It decided it would give a call for protest movement against the ignoring of the KP people’s rights in the CPEC project.

Published in Dawn September 21st, 2016