PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party has announced to hold a ‘grand jirga’ on July 26 at Bacha Khan Markaz Peshawar to devise a strategy for launching an effective protest campaign to ensure protection of lives and properties of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sharing details of a meeting of the ANP provincial cabinet, the party’s provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Thursday that the time had come to take a unified stand for solution to the prevailing issues.

Flanked by the ANP provincial general secretary Hussain Shah Yousufzai and other office-bearers, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that people belonging to different schools of thoughts, especially those hailing from the merged tribal districts would be invited.

“It is not a problem of a single political party but in the prevailing situation the entire Pakhtun nation is suffering and, therefore, the grand jirga would discuss in detail all the core issues, particularly relating to peace and natural resources of the region,” he said.

He condemned the murder of Maulana Khanzeb, ANP secretary for ulema affairs in Bajuar and demanded formation of a judicial commission to determine as to who had committed the heinous crime.

He reiterated his party’s demand for formation of a powerful judicial commission to be headed by a Supreme Court judge to investigate the assassination of Maulana Khanzeb.

He stressed that to ensure transparency, a family member of the slain leader should be included in the proposed judicial commission.

He expressed concern over the increasing targeted killing of ANP workers and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice without any further delay.

The ANP provincial chief said that through a well planned conspiracy the NFC award had been delayed and efforts were being made to rollback the 18th and 25th constitutional amendments.

He said the people had known about the plan to deprive them of their natural resources.

He claimed that the law and order situation was intentionally being created to capture the provincial natural resources, particularly in the merged districts.

The ANP leader outrightly rejected the revival of jirga system in the former federally administered tribal area (FATA) and alleged that it’s only purpose was to amend the constitution and deprive the people of their constitutional rights. “We will not allow anyone to push the region backward,” he warned.

He said that his party had no personal enmity with anyone but it (ANP) wanted a transparent inquiry into the cold blooded murder Maulana Khanzeb, accountability of the culprits, and protection of constitutional rights of the people.

He said thathis party had lost 1200 workers during the past few years for the sake of restoration of peace. However, he said, the ANP would not remain a silent spectator any longer and it would bring the facts before the nation.

Milan Iftikhar Hussain urged the people of the province to join hands irrespective of politics to take a unified stance for a solution to their burning issues.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025