ISLAMABAD, July 25: The Awami National Party (ANP) and the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) on Wednesday announced the formation of a new alliance called Pakhtoonkhwah National Democratic Alliance (PNDA) with Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan, President of the ANP, as is its chairman.

The announcement of the formation of the alliance was made by PNDA leaders Asfandyar Wali Khan and Mehmood Khan Achakzai at a news briefing after their meeting at the Parliament Lodges on Wednesday.

The new alliance leaders demanded of the government to form a separate province comprising Pukhtun-majority parts of Balochistan and NWFP with a new name of Pakhtoonkhwah and Pashto as its official language.

The two leaders also announced the formation a convening committee of the alliance comprising five senior members of the two parties and tasked it with framing manifesto and motto of the new alliance.

The two nationalist leaders said that their fight against the establishment would continue till the formation of a truly democratic and representative government in the country.

They asked the federal government to grant the new proposed province full rights on the Indus River and the dams and power projects built over it.

The two leaders said that Pashto would be the official language of the new province.”

They demanded of the federal government to stop what they called meddling in Afghanistan’s affairs to ensure peace and stability in the region.

They also demanded of the United States to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan and stop unnecessary operations in tribal areas of Pakistan.

“Pakistan and the US should immediately withdraw their forces, stop target killings of journalists and tribal people, end army’s role in politics and close down terrorist camps in tribal areas,” they said.