PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party on Sunday unveiled its manifesto for coming general election with focus on according top priority to improvement of law and order situation besides pledging to scale up efforts for overcoming energy crisis, take measures for promotion of education and healthcare, and protection of women, children and human rights.

The 25-page manifesto outlined by ANP’s senior vice-president Senator Mohammad Adeel at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club pledges to step up efforts for elimination of terrorism.

“The purpose of this manifesto is to inform people about the ANP’s aims and objectives so that voters in the coming election understand our party programmes,” he said.

The manifesto doesn’t present a detailed programme and seeks to describe the principles that will govern its policies, should it be called upon to serve the people of Pakistan, either singly or in partnership with others.

The English-scripted document has drawn up the party’s to-do-list. It promises to ensure peace and security for the development of people through political, legal, administrative, social, economic and fiscal reforms besides provincial autonomy and steps to promote education and improve patients’ care.

Mr Adeel said that the party had lost over 700 workers in war against terrorism during the past five years and would render more sacrifices for the sake of peace. He said that the party had elaborate programme to improve healthcare and take measures for putting in place effective laws to ensure labour, woman and child rights and development and employment of youth.

The party, he said, would also help farmers, extend facilities to industrial sector and establish institutes for technical education apart from taking measures for promotion of art, culture, sports and information technology. He said that the party was set to win election in view of its performance during its government and claimed they had already implemented its last election manifesto.

“We consider extremism and terrorism a threat to the very existence of the country. We are committed to peace and will not let the sacrifices of people of Pakistan and security agencies go in vain,” he said.

However, the manifesto says that the party will seek negotiations with all those who accept the government’s writ and renounce violence, but those defying this will face action. The party will oppose all forms of violations of the country’s sovereignty and integrity, he said. “We are committed to evolving a national consensus to make the state democratically developed,” he said.

He said that they believed that security and foreign policies were the primary responsibility of public representatives for which the party would launch efforts, if it came into power.

The ANP will ensure that state implements its writ in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and purge it from all sorts of terror networks, he said, adding that it would evolve a consensus on integration of Fata and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas into the mainstream, with a comprehensive political, social and economic reforms.

Mr Adeel explained that they would evolve a standard policy for compensation, including a public insurance policy, for victims of sectarianism, terrorism and violence. The policy will also be extended to Fata, he said.

The ANP will establish a martyrs’ cell in the KP and Fata to ensure wellbeing of families of those killed in terrorism-related incidents, he said.

He said that the party draws inspiration from the teachings of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.