TIMERGARA: Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan here on Thursday asked the government to ensure early merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that government should also amend the Constitution and fix number of Fata ministers in the provincial cabinet.

Mr Khan was addressing a party gathering at Timergara rest house ground in connection with eighth anniversary of a suicide attack that had left 56 workers of ANP dead and more than102 injured. The ANP workers were celebrating the re-naming of the province when the attack was carried out.

Vows to resist abolition of 18th Amendment

The participants of the Thursday’s gathering offered ‘Fateha’ for the departed souls and prayed for their eternal peace.

Former chief minister Ameer Haidar Khan Hoti, ANP spokesman Zahid Khan, district president Hussain Shah Yousafzai, Mohammad Ayub Khan and others also spoke on the occasion.

The ANP chief came hard on PTI chief Imran Khan and said that he was silent over the corruption of his party MPAs.

He said that the PTI chief had admitted that his party’s lawmakers soled votes but he failed to name those MPAs. He alleged that PTI lawmakers received money from the candidates nominated by the party for Senate but later sold their votes to billionaires.

“A crisis-like situation is being created in the country,” said Mr Khan. He added that some vested leaders had nothing to do with issues of the nation. He also criticised the PML-N government and said it ignored Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

Presenting himself for public accountability, he claimed that none of the ANP lawmakers was involved in corruption. “Hang me here if someone proves a single penny corruption against me,” he said.

Mr Khan said that efforts were being made to abolish the 18th Amendment but, he added, ANP would resist it.

Earlier, Ameer Haidar Khan Hoti asked Pakhtuns to support his party in the next general elections.

KILLED: A youth identified as Asghar Khan of Mayar Jandol succumbed to injuries and died at a hospital in Islamabad on Thursday. He was injured in a road accident in Thrai Timergara on Wednesday. The district president of National Youth Organisation Malik Khaizar Hayat was killed on the spot in the accident while three others received injuries.

Asghar Khan was referred to Islamabad due to his critical condition.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2018