PESHAWAR: Awami National Party central president Asfandyar Wali Khan has said his party would take part in elections for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly’s seats of tribal districts.

He, however, showed reservations about some large constituencies in the region formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

“Making one constituency out of six districts is rather unjust as a candidate can hardly cover the area,” the ANP leader told delegations in Wali Bagh area in Charsadda.

Asfandyar opposes delegation of executive powers to governor

A news release issued by the ANP provincial secretariat, Bacha Khan Markaz, here on Monday quoted Mr Asfandyar as saying the idea of delegating executive powers to the provincial governor to reduce burden of work on the chief minister is ridiculous.

“Increasing the governor factor in government institutions despite devolution of powers under the 18th Constitutional Amendment to the provinces is a dangerous trend,” said Mr Asfandyar, whose party takes credit for realising efforts for provincial autonomy due to 18th Amendment in the constitution in its previous tenure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ANP chief said the government was trying to revive One Unit in the country and take back the provincial autonomy ensured through 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

He said everyone hailed the merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but practical steps were still awaited.

Mr Asfandyar said demanding one year to set up judicial system in tribal districts showed non-seriousness of the government.

He demanded the early implementation of merger-related decisions to end restlessness among the people of tribal districts.

The ANP chief accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of not showing seriousness in fulfilling his election promises and said the government was depriving Sindh province of its funds just like KP was neglected of its basic rights for a long time.

He said the rulers should realise that empowerment of provinces actually strengthened the federation.

Mr Asfandyar said the ‘selected’ premier should realise that keeping the federation together needed efforts and ignoring issues of smaller unit could trigger huge problems for the federation.

In another news release issued by the Bacha Khan Markaz, ANP provincial general secretary and MPA Sardar Hussain Babak said the party’s membership campaign was going on well as members of minorities and women were showing extraordinary interest in becoming party members.

Meanwhile, ANP MPA Samar Haroon Bilour resented ‘unannounced and frequent’ power loadshedding and low gas pressure in many residential areas of Peshawar.

She demanded of the government to provide basic facilities to the people.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2019