SWAT: Awami National Party provincial president Aimal Wali Khan said on Thursday that poverty was on the rise in the country as a result of policies of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

He was addressing a ceremony in Saidu Sharif where the royal family member of former Swat state and MNA Musarrat Ahmadzeb joined ANP along with her family members after quitting PML-N.

Her son Miangul Umar Farooq, who was the central vice-president of PML-N youth wing, also joined ANP.

Mr Aimal Wali said that his party believed in freedom of expression, but the ruling party had virtually imposed ban on freedom of expression in the country, especially on media.

“The PTI government is trying to impose further restrictions on media,” he said.

Aimal Wali said that journalists like Hamid Mir and Talat Hussain were being sidelined in the present government.

He alleged that the PTI government was trying to introduce electronic voting system to steal people’s mandate in the country.

He said that the PTI government had completely failed to bring developmental change in the country as it had no such plan.

He claimed that ANP was working for real democracy and it was the true representative of Pakhtuns in the country.

“ANP is fully prepared to participate in the local and general elections and will sweep them this time because of the present government’s bad policies,” he said.

He thanked the members of the Swat royal family for joining ANP. He also announced that Musarrat Ahmadzeb would be the ANP candidate from NA-3, Swat, in the next elections.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021