CHARSADDA: Awami National Party central president Senator Aimal Wali Khan has said that the law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is deteriorating rapidly, and feared that the worsening situation in Bajaur may engulf the entire province.

Talking to the media on the occasion of Yaum-i-Babara, he said that murderers and oppressors of Babara were enemies of Pakhtun nation and their crimes would never be forgiven.

He alleged that on August 12, 1948 bullets were rained on unarmed and peaceful Khudai Khidmatgar activists (servants of God). He said hundreds of innocent people were martyred.

Aimal said that the height of the cruelty was that on the third day of the incident, band musicians were sent to the homes of the martyrs to rub salt on their wounds.

“This barbarity and brutality remains a dark chapter in history,” he remarked, adding that the ideology, mission and hopes that the martyrs of Babara had nurtured with their blood are still alive today. “Neither our thinking, nor our party, nor our determination and nor our struggle have ended. Today, even after 70 years, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the same martyrs are determined to carry forward the same mission in their homeland.”

Along with other ANP leaders, he visits the memorial of Babara massacre

Senator Aimal along with ANP provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain, general secretary Hussain Shah Yousafzai, Charsadda district president Shakeel Bashir Khan Omarzai, and others visited the Babara Martyrs’ Memorial, laid floral wreath and offered Fateha for the departed souls.

Referring to the current situation in the country, Aimal declared that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf was a representative party of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. He asked: “Who released 102 terrorists and on whose orders 40,000 terrorists were brought back from Afghanistan. These decisions were taken by former ISI chief Gen Faiz Hameed, former COAS Gen Bajwa and former prime minister Imran Khan, and even today, PTI is supporting Taliban.”

He claimed that for the past 12 years, PTI had been giving money to Taliban in the name of extortion.

“Today, the Taliban are active not only in Bajaur and Malakand but also in areas like Mardan, Peshawar and Charsadda.”

Regarding recent visits of the army chief to the US, he said whenever America expressed ‘love’, Pakhtuns have been put in trouble.

The ANP leader claimed that once again two ‘big global powers’ had become active in the region for their own interests and wanted to seize resources in the name of ‘operation’.

He said that the mineral resources of the province have been seized, and global powers wanted to take them away. “Now preparations are being made to use us again in the war of America and other powers,” he said.

Referring to the Bajaur operation, he said ANP stood with the affected people. “Our workers are busy in relief activities there. We will be with the people in this difficult situation,” he said.

Aimal said a multiparty conference had been called in Islamabad on August 17, adding: “We do not need the government or chairs. We will stand with the people and protect them.”

Aimal opposed the proposal to convert the Frontier Constabulary into the Federal Constabulary.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2025