QUETTA: Awami National Party (ANP) leaders on Sunday vowed to continue struggle for supremacy of the Constitution and parliament and strengthening democracy in the country.
“We are part of the struggle launched by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) against the government and will support all moves for seeking free, fair and transparent elections in the country,” they said.
These views were expressed by ANP Balochistan president Mohammad Asghar Achakzai, his Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counterpart Aimal Wali Khan, Zamarak Khan Piralizai, Mabat Kaka and Arbab Umar Farooq Kasi at a public meeting in Pishin on the eve of the 10th death anniversary of local party leader Haji Jilani Khan Achakzai.
Aimal Wali said that the ANP had always made it clear that peace and development in Afghanistan and Pakistan were interlinked.
Leader says peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan is interlinked
“A peaceful Pakistan is impossible without a peaceful Afghanistan and similarly a peaceful Afghanistan is impossible without a peaceful Pakistan. Both countries should be aware of this fact,” Aimal Wali said.
Addressing Afghan leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Taliban, he said: “Whoever tries to sabotage the peace process in Afghanistan, the ANP will stand against him.”
“We are on the path of non-violence. We stand against war and violence and will always stand with those who render sacrifices but do not give up non-violence,” Amial Wali said.
He said non-violence always prevailed over violence. “We talk about non-violence today as we talked about it yesterday.”
The speakers said the PDM had launched a movement for the survival of democracy in the country and to ensure that respect was given to the people’s vote.
“The ANP represents not only the Pakhtun people but also Baloch, Sindhi and Saraiki people. The party has unveiled a 10-point agenda, which includes the protection and implementation of the 18th Amendment,” they said.
The ANP leaders demanded recovery of Asad Khan Achakzai, the party’s provincial information secretary, who had gone missing two months ago while going to Quetta from Chaman.
They feared that Asad Achakzai might become another Asad Mengal, who had been kidnapped in 1970s to be never seen again.
“We believe in the ideology of Bacha Khan and Khan Abdul Wali Khan who had showed us the path of non-violence. Haji Jilani Khan Achakzai was martyred while advancing the mission of our great leaders as their true follower. We will not abandon the mission of Bacha Khan and Wali Khan at any cost,” the ANP leaders said.
Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2020
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