QUETTA: The Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan chapter, condemned raids at homes of its provincial council members in a press conference on Saturday.

Residences of ANP provincial council members Ehsanullah Dummar and Faridullah Dummar were allegedly raided by security forces in Sanjavi town on Friday, the party claimed.

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Saturday, ANP’s provincial chief and party parliamentary leader Asghar Achakzai said security forces raided the house of Ehsanullah and Faridullah late night at 2am and arrested Najeebullah and three others from their home and held them for one and a half hours.

“ANP has a history which believes in non-violence and peaceful struggle,” he said. “But unfortunately, some institutions deliberately want to push peaceful parties towards violence by carrying out such acts,” he said.

“The raids are meant to disrupt the harmony and peace of Sanjavi town,” Mr Achakzai said. “Besides, such raids come under the jurisdiction of police and levies, but they were not even asked before the raid,” he alleged.

According to Mr Achakzai, earlier, the houses of tribal leaders Faizullah Noorzai and Baseer Noorzai had also been raided. “We had raised our voice against these raids on the floor of the assembly,” he said. “Regarding the raid on Faizullah’s house, his name in the FIR was wrongly mentioned but was later changed,” he added.

“If party leaders have done something wrong or if someone from the family is wanted, then they should be dealt with by lawful and constitutional means,” he said.

ANP’s provincial general secretary Mabat Kaka, central joint secretary Rasheed Khan Nasar, Nawabzada Umar Farooq Kasi and other party leaders were also present at the press conference.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2020