PESHAWAR, Feb 28: President of the Awami National Party Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan has said the general public and political parties should have protested against the unprecedented price hike in the country because the government has miserably failed to provide any relief to the common man.

Addressing a public gathering at the Gulbahar Colony here on Monday night, Asfandyar Wali Khan said that when the prices of sugar were increased by 25 paisa during General Ayub Khan’s era there were countrywide strikes and General Ayub was called “Cheeni Chor”. He said now during General Musharraf’s regime the price of sugar had been increased by Rs18 but there was no concern and no protest movement was launched by the masses or political parties.

The event was arranged in honour of Syed Niaz Ali Shah, who resigned from the Peoples’ Party Parliamentarians and joined the Awami National Party along with dozens of relatives and friends.

Mr Wali said: “We are in favour of peaceful protests against the unprecedented price hike in the country.”

He said that most of the sugars mills are owned by federal ministers or those belonging to the ruling party, adding that why would they reduce prices when there were no protests on behalf of the general masses.

He said all Pakhtuns have to unite for the survival of their soil and resources as the fire in the shape of the terrorist-hunt operation had entered Waziristan and Bajaur agencies, which could be spread to the entire Pakhtun territory.

Mr Wali said through pre-planned conspiracy Pakhtun land had been pushed into war and violence, and added that now the peaceful atmosphere of Khyber Agency had been marred through the clashes of two religious groups: the Muftis and the Pirs.

He said that on the one hand Gen Musharraf was willing to talk to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for peaceful dialogue but on the other was not ready to talk to Akbar Bugti to settle the Balochistan crisis, saying that no political issue had been resolved through forceful means but needed a political vision and approach.

He said that we accept Punjab as one of the federating units of the federation of Pakistan but not as commander, saying that interestingly the wheat in Punjab and cotton crops in Sindh are being declared and controlled as their own product but tobacco crops in the NWFP had been snatched by the federal government, which had earned Rs48 billion in central excise duty and other taxes for the centre.

Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said that unless full provincial autonomy was given to each of the provinces there would be no true democracy in Pakistan and it would be just the supremacy of Punjab.

He said that our province is blessed with natural resources and if we were given control or actual royalty on our resources then the province would no more remain poor or backward and our youth would no more be wandering in other provinces for a livelihood.

“We want to see our province developed and people prosperous. If it is a crime or sin to do so then we accept it with an open heart,” he added.