PESHAWAR, July 22: Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Bashir Ahmad Bilour said on Friday that his party was opposed to all forms of terrorism. “Our religion does not permit killing of innocent people,” Mr Bilour said. He was talking to reporters here on the occasion of welcoming PPP-Sherpao workers into the folds of ANP.

The ANP leader said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had himself confessed that they had brought militants from around the world and trained them against Russian forces in Afghanistan. “Instead of raiding religious seminaries where students are being taught security agencies should dismantle the camps where militants are being trained,” he said.

On the issue of renaming of the NWFP, he said that the provincial assembly had already unanimously passed a resolution demanding the central government to change the province’s name. He said that there was no need of a parliamentary committee for the purpose in the presence of the assembly resolution.

“We want a name for our province that should reflect the culture of the people living in this part of the country,” he said.

He criticized President Musharraf for his statement that there would have been no floods if Kalabagh dam was built. “The recent floods have inundated around 400,000 acres of land in the NWFP and if Kalabagh dam was built then the whole province would be sunk,” he said.

The ANP leader said that the NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan assemblies had passed resolutions against the construction of Kalabagh dam and in the presence of these resolutions the statement of President Musharraf was regrettable.

Mr Bilour asked the election commission to take note of the use of government machinery in the local government polls. He said that the government could use the developmental fund to lure voters in favour of the government supported candidates. “We want the election commission to stop the distribution of Zakat till the election process is completed,” he said.

He said that his party’s supported candidate would contest the local government polls under the name of ‘Watan Dost Group’ and if any party member violated the party decision by contesting against the groups’ nominee his party’s basic membership would be terminated.

Attiqur Rehman, Salim Yousafzai, Noor Akbar, members of the PPP-Sherpao from Thana, Malakand Agency, along with their family members and supporters announced joining the ANP.—PPI