PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) has formally approached the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the inspector general of police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the provincial home secretary for a legal action against an individual allegedly involved in a social media campaign targeting the party’s leadership and workers on religious grounds.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, ANP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Mian Iftikhar Hussain submitted a written complaint, condemning what he described as a hate-filled and provocative campaign aimed at portraying party leaders and activists as members of the Ahmadi community.

The complaint stated that the individual had been using social media platforms and various WhatsApp groups to circulate what the party termed “baseless and misleading allegations” against its leadership and workers. It alleged that the campaign was intended to exploit religious sentiments, spread hatred against the party and gain political advantage.

Mr Hussain said the ANP had long stood for constitutional supremacy, democracy, non-violence and resistance to extremism. He maintained that targeting any political party or its members on religious grounds endangered their lives, property and dignity, particularly in the prevailing security environment.

He argued that falsely questioning the religious identity of party members was a reprehensible act that could inflame tensions, deepen divisions and undermine public order. Such campaigns, he added, had the potential to foster mistrust and hostility among different segments of society.

The ANP leader noted that the party had sacrificed more than 1,000 workers and leaders in its struggle against terrorism and that its leadership continued to face security threats.

He said the recent allegations had further heightened risks to the lives of party leaders and workers and could encourage acts of violence.

Mr Hussain urged the NCCIA, provincial police chief and home secretary to conduct an immediate and transparent investigation into the matter. He also called for strict legal action against those responsible for disseminating hate content, promoting false narratives and threatening public peace.

The complaint stressed the need to safeguard citizens’ lives, dignity, religious sentiments and public order and to prevent any untoward incident arising from the campaign.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026