QUETTA: Acting president of the Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan, Jamaluddin Rishtya, strongly condemned the arrest of the party’s provincial president, Asghar Khan Achakzai, describing the charges against him as fake, baseless and fabricated.

Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Friday, Mr Rishtya announced that a multi-party conference (MPC) would be convened in Quetta on

Nov 6 to decide the party’s future course of action. He said all political parties, members of the legal fraternity and traders’ associations would be formally invited to attend the conference.

Mr Rishtya reiterated that the party would not abandon the non-violent philosophy of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan) or its struggle for the rights of oppressed nations in response to such “cheap tactics”.

“The Awami National Party believes in the respect, freedom and autonomy of the judiciary and the rule of law, and our leaders have sacrificed their lives for these principles,” Mr Rishtya said.

He expressed growing concern among party workers and supporters, saying that the principles of justice and merit did not appear to have been upheld in Mr Achakzai’s case.

Highlighting Mr Achakzai’s political stature, Mr Rishtya said he had consistently worked to promote brotherhood, unity and harmony among different ethnic groups and tribes in Balochistan. He added that Mr Achakzai had often played a role in mediating and resolving longstanding tribal disputes. He said implicating a leader of Achakzai’s stature in such a serious case reflected the government’s and local administration’s alleged malice and political victimisation, while disregarding the traditions, values and history of the province.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2026