QUETTA: Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Meh­mood Khan Achakzai has said that his party will continue its peaceful struggle for protection of people’s constitutional and dem­­­ocratic rights.

Speaking at a public meeting held here on Sunday to commemorate the 45th death anniversary of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, he said: “This is our country and our loyalty is to a federal and democratic Pakistan where equal rights of every nationality, ethnicity and minority are guaranteed by the constitution which the state should hold sacrosanct and supreme.”

Senior PkMAP leaders Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Abdur Rauf Lala, Senator Usman Kakar, Obaibullah Babit, Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal and Nasrullah Zerey also spoke on the occasion.

They paid tribute to the late Samad Khan Achakzai and underlined the need to follow in his footsteps and political and ideological philosophy.

Asserts PkMAP’s loyalty is to a democratic Pakistan where equal rights to all are guaranteed

Mr Achakzai said he believed in non-violence and peaceful struggle. He said Pakistan needed to be a genuinely democratic federation where people enjoyed constitutional guarantee of their fundamental, political, economic and cultural rights. He said the establishment had no right to interfere in politics.

The PkMAP chief called for convening a multi-party conference to take stock of the political and economic situation.

He expressed concern over the ongoing violence and alleged violation of rights, particularly in the Pakhtun belt.

“Pakhtuns are not terrorists. We should erase such stereotypes and concocted images,” he said, adding that “Pakhtuns love their land”.

He said in order to establish peace in Afghanistan, its sovereignty should be respected by all the powers involved.

“Conducive environment needed to be created to enable the Afghans to bring peace to their country,” he suggested.

Senator Usman Kakar criticised the government for its lack of democratic credentials and inefficiencies.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2018