CHARSADDA: Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Friday asked Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan to act against his party’s lawmakers, who sold votes in the recent Senate elections.

Addressing a party workers convention in Atmanzai area, the ANP chief said the PTI chairman should begin the war against corruption from his own party by cracking down on own lawmakers, who sold votes in the recent Senate polls. He said on one hand, Imran Khan declared PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari ‘thieves’ and ‘dacoits’ but on the other, he’d joined hands with the PPP in the recent Senate elections, a move, which had exposed his double standard.

Mr Asfandyar said PPP leader Zardari did a favour to the nation by exposing Imran Khan.

“The PTI chief should name those lawmakers of his party, who sold votes,” he said.

The ANP leader said some people had complained about the 18th Constitutional Amendment but his party won’t allow anyone to change it.

He said the 18th Amendment provided identity to Pakhtuns almost 70 years after the creation of Pakistan, and protected the rights of smaller units of the federation.

Mr Asfandyar said the KP ministers and lawmakers were accusing the chief minister of corruption but Imran Khan was unwilling to listening to them.

He said a Hayatabad flyover constructed at a cost of Rs1.8 billion was crumbling down, while the tales of corruption in the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation project were all over the place but ironically, the National Accountability Bureau had closed its eyes towards them.

The ANP chief said Jamaat-i-Islami leader Sirajul Haq and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman had revived the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal after enjoying powers for five years just to deceive people.

He demanded Fata’s merger with KP and allocation of seats for the tribal region in the provincial assembly before the general elections.

Mr Asfandyar demanded compensation for the Fata people affected by the military operations.

He criticised Qaumi Watan Party chief Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao over poor policies and said the PTI had pushed his party out of the KP government twice and stabbed it in the back in the recent Senate polls.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2018