NOWSHERA: Senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) Mian Iftikhar Hussain has criticised the PTI-led federal government’s alleged plan to review the 18th Constitution Amendment, calling it a “conspiracy against small provinces”.

“The ‘selected government’ wants to usurp the rights of small provinces and has also initiated its agenda against the NFC award,” said the ANP’s central general secretary while talking to the media here on Monday.

He said the opposition parties would not let the government usurp the due rights of small federating units. “It was the Eighteenth Amendment which gave us identity and provincial autonomy,” he said.

The federal government should act wisely, he added. “The federation is strong when the provinces are strong.”

Later, he discussed government’s Covid-19 strategy, saying it was unclear. “The government has been unable to decide between total lockdown and smart lockdown.” He alleged that senior medical workers were killed by the virus for which the government bore responsibility.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2020