HARIPUR, March 2: Awami National Party nominee for chief minister slot of NWFP, Amir Haider Khan Hoti, has said that he would struggle for complete provincial autonomy as omission of concurrent list was not the only solution to the host of problems faced by the province.

He was talking to mediapersons on Sunday after attending a ceremony at the residence of MPA-elect Qazi Mohammad Asad Khan where the later announced joining ANP. ANP provincial president Afrasiab Khattak, Bashir Bilour, Mian Iftikhar and Major (retired) Habibullah Khan Tareen were also present on the occasion.

Mr Hoti said that NWFP was bestowed with abundant of natural resources but the lack of autonomy to utilise them made it the most deprived province of the country. He said that income of hydel power and tobacco could put an end to the problems of Frontier province. But, he said, it could be achieved only through provincial autonomy for which ANP’s government would try to translate its long struggle into reality during the days ahead.

The CM-designate expressed his resolve to put the province on the road to real development, saying that his government would try its level best to provide basic amenities to the citizens.

About renaming of NWFP, he said that it would be carried out after taking all the coalition partners into confidence. He said that his party had already talked to PPP and PML-N regarding the issue and would soon get the consent of all the coalition partners.

Speaking on the occasion, Afrasiab Khatak condemned the terrorist activities in the country. He said that certain invisible powers were out to sabotage the process of transition of country to the democratic order. He hoped that people would undermine the conspiracies of such powers.

Mr Khattak said that under the leadership of Mr Hoti the provincial government would play its role in making the country a federal democratic country in real sense.

The Gurguri oil field is producing 410 million cubic feet of gas daily against the total need of 225 MCF of the entire province the majority areas of NWFP particularly those producing the natural gas are deprived of this facility, he lamented.

The Frontier province, he said, had suffered a lot during the Afghan war but remained deprived because of the negligence of rulers.