PESHAWAR: Awami National Party provincial president Aimal Wali Khan has threatened to protest any move to roll back 18th Amendment.

He said that ANP would gather its workers to protest at all the politically historic places that were symbol of resistance against any such move. He also announced to hold first such protest at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.

Aimal Wali made this announcement at Bilour House in the presence of his party members, senior leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and MPA Samar Bilour, the first woman spokesperson of the nationalist political party.

ANP claims credit for renaming the province as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It also takes pride to be one among other political parties that passed the 18th Amendment.

However, a recent scenario in the country has given the political parties a message that the federal government is out to roll back the 18th Amendment. Political parties including ANP have been saying that any such move would be resisted.

Aimal Wali threatens to hold protests at historical places

Aimal Wali Khan during his press conference at Bilour House on Wednesday said that if any move was made to make any change or dismantle the 18th Amendment, the party would hold protests at all historic places that were symbol of resistance like Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi, Qissa Khwani in Peshawar, Takar in Mardan and Hatikhel in Bannu.

He asked ANP workers to be ready for protest, saying biggest protest would be held in Laiquat Bagh where leaders of the party had sacrificed their lives. He said that an autonomous Pakistan was in the interest of all of the people of the country. He added that economic problems, flour crisis and pandemic exposed the incompetence of the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The sugar and wheat crises were also the outcome of non-implementation of the 18th Amendment, said the ANP leader. He criticised the federal government and termed it responsible for all kinds of crises in the country.

Later, he also announced that Samar Bilour was the first woman spokesperson of the party and the province. He hoped she would perform her duty in the best possible way.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020