PESHAWAR: Awami National Party leader Asfandyar Wali Khan has said talks for peace in Afghanistan should be ‘owned and led’ by the Afghan government for lasting stability in the war-ravaged country.

‘Pakistan’s parliament had passed a resolution declaring it would accept only those peace talks, which will be owned and led by the Afghan government. Right now, the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani and American governments are involved in peace negotiations, while the Afghan government has been kept out. This approach will not resolve issues,” Asfandyar told a news conference at the Bilour House here on Thursday.

The ANP had called a meeting of its think tank to discuss its organisational matters.

ANP leader resents ‘selective’ accountability in country

Asfandyar asked Pakistan and the US to let Afghanistan lead and own the peace talks with the Taliban militants saying if Kabul is not involved in that ‘jirga’, solution to the problem will be temporary.

He warned that there would more bloodshed even if the US left Afghanistan in a hurry after holding the peace talks with the Taliban without involving the Afghan government.

The ANP chief resented ‘selective’ accountability in the country and asked the National Accountability Bureau to subject Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister to the same accountability process over Dubai property that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons faced over London flats.

“This is not accountability. It is rather revenge. When both sons of Nawaz Sharif said their grandfather had given them money, they were asked to produce money trail. Now, the same question should be put to the premier’s sister. She should be asked how she made so much money to buy property abroad,” he said.

Asfandyar criticised the ruling PTI for accusing him of having assets in Malaysia and other countries and said the government should find them so that he could sell them before donating their money to the Dam Fund.

About issues in the erstwhile tribal areas, the ANP leader warned that all kinds of troubles would crop up in tribal districts due to the existing legal vacuum.

“Earlier, a system was in place there. We all wanted that system to be abolished and when that happened, we all celebrated that. But currently, there was no legal system as the one proposed has not yet been implemented there. In such a legal vacuum, all kinds of bad things can happen. People could do anything they wanted,” he warned.

The ANP leader welcomed Qaumi Watan Party’s leader Aftab Khan Sherpao’s call for the unity of Pakhtun leadership and said his party was ready to discuss the issues of Pakhtun people with the QWP. “Mr Sherpao should choose the time and place and we will sit with him to devolve future course of action over Pakhtun issues,” he said.

When asked if his party has any contacts with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, Asfandyar parried the question saying the matter was not discussed in the meeting.

He criticised the PTI government for not sharing the inquiry report and its conclusion about the recent abduction and killing of provincial police officer Tahir Dawar.

“First, Naqeebullah Mehsud was targeted and later, SP Tahir Dawar was brutally killed. If the government keeps hiding facts about such killings and the culprits, I fear the next target will be you or me,” he said demanding details of the Dawar murder case.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2019