SHANGLA/SWABI: Awami National Party provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain has asked both the government and the establishment to work for establishing durable peace for economic and political stability in the country.

He was addressing a rally in connection with the month-long events to mark the 37th death anniversary of Bacha Khan and the 19th of Abdul Wali Khan in Shangla on Monday.

ANP provincial leaders Rehmat Ali Khan, Mutawakil Khan, Hamid Khan Tofan, Azam Khan and others also spoke.

Mr Iftikhar said the party would no longer tolerate the killing of policemen, who were attacked in the dead of the night, further pushing the region into backwardness and conflict.

Recalling the militancy in Swat, he claimed it was ANP that negotiated with militants, leading to restoration of peace in the Malakand division. However, he said the resurgence of terror in the region was the failure of the provincial government of PTI.

Iftikhar says resurgence of terror in Swat govt’s failure

“We oppose negotiations with militants, which leads to distinction between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban as we previously witnessed. ANP wants the elimination of terrorism regardless of whether it’s perceived as ‘good’ or ‘bad’,” the ANP leader said.

Criticising the provincially ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Mian Iftikhar claimed that Imran Khan planned to be the ‘lifetime’ ruler of the country, hut his ‘scheme of things’ didn’t get through. “He is now attempting to reach out to the establishment through letters, but receives cold response.”

Mian Iftikhar said the provincial government was only focused on politics of agitation and holding rallies.

Meanwhile, speaking at a meeting in Swabi, ANP leaders termed the PTI rally in the district on Saturday as a flopped show.

Former adviser to the chief minister Mukhtiar Khan, district president Asifur Rehman, senior vice-president Tausif Ijaz, general secretary Nawabzada and leaders from all the four tehsils participated in the ANP working committee meeting.

Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, the ANP leaders said the huddle discussed the party’s upcoming meetings at Liaqat Bagh, Rawalpindi, on Feb 14 and at the Convention Centre, Islamabad, on Feb 22.

Mukhtiar Khan claimed Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Gohar Ayub, Sher Afzal Marwat, another senior leaders were not allowed to speak at the Saturday’s public meeting of PTI, which showed internal differences prevailed in the party. “The circumstances forced the PTI leaders to end the meeting prematurely,” he said.

Asifur Rehman said PTI had not launched any mega project in Swabi during its 11-year rule in the province.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2025