SWABI: Awami National Party senior vice-president Ameer Haider Hoti on Friday called for shunning political point-scoring after the assassination attempt on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, and holding an impartial inquiry into the incident.

He stated this while addressing the party’s peace march held at the Swabi interchange of the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway here.

A large number of workers participated in the march with the participants saying they strived for peace not only on Pakhtuns’ soil but across the country.

“We are followers of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who taught us the philosophy of non-violence and we are sticking to it,” Mr Hoti said.

Regrets no one cares about Pakhtun killings

He said though his party had political differences with Imran Khan, they were political people and wanted peace. “We do not fight with anyone with bullets. Wherever there is terrorism, we condemn it in all possible terms,” he added.

He said Pakhtuns wanted to send a clear message that they strongly condemned the incident and opposed violence in any shape.

Mr Hoti said: “Competition in politics takes place on the political arena, not through bullets. Wherever there is violence in Pakistan, we will condemn it.”

He said accusations and counter accusations had started in the aftermath of the attack on Imran Khan’s long march, which should be stopped, and fair investigation should be conducted to expose the culprits.

”For God’s sake, don’t use this issue for politics,” he implored.

Mr Hoti said he was not blaming anyone for the attack, but referred to Faisal Wada, a PTI leader, as claiming that he was seeing bloodletting during the PTI’s long march.

“There should be a transparent investigation into the incident to clear the doubts surrounding the attack,” he said.

The ANP leader lamented that for 40 years the blood of Pakhtuns was shedding, but no one cared about it.

”We have come out on the streets neither to save the government nor to overthrow it, but only for peace,” he said. “We are not out for the greed of power, but for peace, and we want peace in the land of Pakhtuns.”

On the occasion, ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan said they wanted formulation of a policy that guaranteed peace on the Pakhtuns’ soil.

“We struggle for peace, for our children and for our nation,” he said. “Today, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have come out of their houses for peace.”

Aimal Wali said Pakhtuns were ready to make any kind of sacrifice for the sake of peace on their land.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2022