TIMERGARA, April 21: The Awami National Party on Saturday backed PML-N president Mian Nawaz Sharif’s call for troops pullout and demilitarisation of Siachen.

“The PML-N chief was right in his call for troops pullout from Siachen,” said ANP’s central spokesman and Senator Zahid Khan while talking to media persons after inaugurating Bacha Khan Medical OPD building at the district headquarters hospital here. However, he said that the ANP believed in negotiations for resolving all issues.

Mr Khan said that both Pakistan and India should pull out their troops from Siachen and settle the issue through dialogue.

Earlier, speaking at the inaugural function, Mr Khan said that the project of OPD and provision of necessary equipment had been completed with a cost of Rs20 million and it would start functioning next week.

He also announced Rs20 million for provision of other medical facilities for the hospital and asked its administration to make it model hospital.

The senator said that supply of Sui gas to Dir, construction of schools and electrification of several villages showed commitment of the ANP to the welfare of people.

He said that construction of Chakdara Bridge was a longstanding demand of the people of Dir, Bajaur and Chitral, and this had been included in the Asian Development Bank-funded projects in the region. He said that the chief minister would visit Chakdara on May 1 to inaugurate construction of the bridge. “The government is committed to providing health and education facilities to people of the far-flung areas,” he said, adding that the DHQ hospital was being provided with equipment and specialist doctors in order to minimise burden on Peshawar hospitals.

An employee of the DHQ hospital, Timergara, told this correspondent that the Bacha Khan OPD had so far been inaugurated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haidar Hoti, senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour and provincial minister Haji Hidayatullah during their visits to Lower Dir.