MARDAN, Aug 11: A former senator and leader of the People’s Party Parliamentarian, Syed Shahzad Gul Bacha, has rejoined the Awami National Party (ANP). Mr Bacha, who was previously in the ANP and had later joined the PPP, said that he was leaving the party because Benazir Bhutto had allegedly deviated from the party manifesto and was holding talks to strike a deal with a dictator.

Speaking at a press conference at the Mardan press club on Saturday, he said that he had decided to rejoin the ANP because Ms Bhutto’s meeting with Gen Musharraf proved that she was keeping her self-interest above the interest of the people.

Mr Bacha said if Ms Bhutto struck a deal with the dictator, it would be a political suicide for the party and even for her own political career.

He said it was the need of the hour that all Pakhtuns got united under the banner of ANP as both the Pakhtuns and their land were facing serious problems.

He said that both Pakistan and the US army were killing innocent Pakhtuns, particularly in tribal agencies, in the name of war against terrorism and fundamentalism.

The Pakhtun nation should foil such conspiracies and this could be possible only when they were united to ward off these threats, he said.

He thanked all elders and office-bearers of the ANP, particularly Mian Ghulam Habib, owner of Srai Mian Sahib, who played a key role in his rejoining the ANP fold.

ANP leader Azam Khan Hoti rejected the talks of imposition of emergency in the country and claimed that it was not possible for Pervez Musharraf to impose martial law or emergency rule in the country.

He said that any emergency rule needed solid grounds and circumstances while at present the country was facing no such situation, therefore, imposing emergency would be impossible for him.

He said that the Pakistan-Afghan peace jirga was a futile effort because actual party to the conflict was not participating in it.

He said that Taliban were fighting against both Nato and Afghan forces and until and unless they were included in the peace process such efforts would be a futile exercise.