PESHAWAR, Oct 12: The Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has urged the government not to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs and work for a lasting peace in that country.

This was said by PkMAP chairman Mehmood Khan Achekzai while speaking to participants of a public meeting here on Sunday.

Dispelling the impression about every Pukhtun being an Al Qaeda activist, he accused the government of exploiting the issue for what he termed petty gains, portraying innocent people as Al Qaeda and Taliban men.

Criticizing the recent operation in the South Waziristan Agency, he said it was only a ploy to defame Pukhtuns living in tribal areas, adding that the people, who had been killed or arrested in the operation, had nothing to do with Al Qaeda network. Without being specific, he said that they had been pushed into the tribal area, enabling the government to exploit the ongoing situation in Afghanistan.

“I request religious leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as covert agencies ... to stop meddling in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and work for a lasting peace,” he said.

Rejecting the Indus Accord and criticizing the government over the construction of the Kalabagh dam, Mr Achekzai urge the government to abandoned its plans in this regard, adding that work should be initiated on projects that were acceptable to the four federating units.

Accusing the government of creating an atmosphere of fear to achieve its political objectives, he said that it was trying to divide the people, fanning religious extremism.

Criticising the role of secret agencies in national politics, Mr Achekzai said that they should stop interfering in the affairs of the government, paving way for true democracy in the country.

Abdur Rahim Mandokhel, senior deputy chairman of PkMAP, accused the government of having struck a deal with foreign powers on the issue of Al Qaeda and Taliban. “This deal will wreak havoc on Pukhtuns living in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.

Leader of the Sindh Awami Tehrik Jalal Mehmood Shah described the bid to construct Kalabagh dam as being a conspiracy to usurp the natural resources of Sindh, saying it was strange that the government was reluctant to initiate work on Bhasha dam, which was acceptable to all, but was going ahead with as controversial a project as Kalabagh dam.

Leader of the Saraiki National Party M.A. Bota also criticized the construction of the Kalabagh Dam and the greater Thal canal besides lashing out at authorities for allotting lands to armymen in the Cholistan region. He said that they had been doled out land at a mere Rs300 per hectare on easy instalments to be paid in 20 years.

Others, who also spoke on the occasion, included PkMAP leader Afzal Khan Lala, its general secretary Bashir Matta and a leader of the Asian Students Union Yogendra Bahadur Sahi. Pakistan Muslim League-N’s Arbab Abdul Aziz Khan also announced joining the PkMAP.