MARDAN, Aug 5: Awami National Party Central President Asfandyar Wali Khan has said that his party is ready to join the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy if the ARD guarantees publicly to accept their demands, particularly of provincial autonomy.

In a brief chat here with local newsmen at the residence of Azam Khan Hoti, Mr Asfandyar disclosed that the ANP has constituted a committee for talks with the ARD for joining it and wants assurance for accepting ANP’s demands publicly, particularly of provincial autonomy.

Mr Hoti is a central leader of the ANP, who was recently released on bail by the LHC. Both Asfandyar and Afrasyab Khattak (Chairman Human Rights Commission) visited his residence at Mardan for congratulation.

Mr Asfandyar pointed that the ARD have also constituted a committee for talks with the ANP but their names have not been disclosed yet.

He said that two major parties like the PPP and the PML-N who are components of the ARD, could come into power in the future and we have joined them in the past but they have deceived us therefore guarantee of demands particularly provincial autonomy was our priority to go with them.

He said the LFO was a constitutional issue and the ANP has a stand that it should be brought into parliament for discussion and must be passed by parliament.

He said the settlement of the LFO outside parliament would not solve the problems facing the country, therefore, the only solution of this issue was to present it in parliament for debate.

He claimed that the MMA badly failed to deliver the goods and expressed his surprise that the components of the MMA today recognizes those national and international issues for which we raised our voice the day Pakistan came into being, he said.