PISHIN: Chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai said on Friday that for the establishment of a durable peace in the region it was necessary that Pakistan and Afghanistan resolve their outstanding issues.

Addressing a public meeting held in the Taj Lala Football ground of the town to mark the 43rd death anniversary of Abdus Samad Khan Achakzai, he said peace was essential for the success of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other development projects.

Mr Achakzai said the region was facing a serious crisis and resolving issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan was the need of the hour. Pakistan should initiate a dialogue process with Afghanistan for resolving all outstanding issues, he said, adding that it was necessary for both the countries.

He said his party was not against Pakistan, but wanted equal rights for Pakhtuns. The PkMAP was the only party which always stood against atrocities and injustices and never compromised on the rights of Pakhtun people, he added.

He said there should be constitutional guarantees for the equal rights of people of all parts of the country and added that only this way Pakistan could be made a true federation.

He said his party would continue its struggle for a Pakhtun province from Bolan to Chitral.

He said the Constitution of the country should be supreme and all institutions, including the army, judiciary and executive, should work according to their constitutional roles.

He said the PkMAP believed in democracy and it had always struggled for the strengthening of democratic institutions in the country. The party had no lashkar or militant group and believed in a peaceful struggle, he added.

The PkMAP chief said peace should be restored in Balochistan. “Baloch people are our brothers and we demand justice and equality in Balochistan.”

He said corruption was spreading like cancer in society and there was an urgent need to control it. All segments of society, including politicians, military officers, judges and bureaucrats, would have to play role in eliminating corruption from society, he added.

He called upon leaders of all political parties to refrain from levelling allegations of corruption against each other.

He announced restoration of membership of all those party members whose membership had been suspended in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh.

PkMAP provincial president Senator Mohammad Usman Kakar, deputy secretary general Sardar Mustafa Khan Tareen and Lala Rauf also addressed the public meeting.

Published in Dawn December 3rd, 2016