QUETTA: Awami National Party (ANP) secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain has expressed concern over the controversy about the appointment of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, saying it is not in the interest of the country and the institution.

Speaking at a news conference at Quetta Press Club, he said that according to the ministers everything was fine and there was no difference of opinion between the government and the military over the issue. “(If that’s true) then why is there a delay in taking decisions?”

“It seems that something is being covered up by the government,” he said. Mr Hussain said that instead of hushing up the issue, the nation should be taken into confidence on it.

Referring to the NAB ordinance, he said that the government had changed the accountability laws through an ordinance to “save its corrupt people who are involved in loot and plunder of national resources”.

Says running country’s affairs through ordinances undermines parliament

“Running the constitutional affairs of the country through issuing ordinances undermines the parliament and disrespects the supreme democratic institution of the country,” the ANP leader said.

Talking about increasing terrorism incidents in KP, he said, “It is possible to eradicate terrorism and extremism in the country only by fully implementing the National Action Plan without any discrimination.”

“It is a matter of serious concern that terrorists are reorganising across the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” he said.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, whom he called a “spokesman for selected terrorists”, had insulted the Pakhtun nation by terming it a nation of terrorists.

“Were Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri Pakhtuns?” he asked. “Even today, 70 banned organisations still exist in Punjab. Linking the Pakhtun nation to terrorists reflects the mentality of the proponents of this theory,” he said.

Mr Hussain said the rulers had lost the moral authority to remain in power.

“Afghanistan is a free and independent country. Interference in the affairs of foreign countries must be avoided,” the ANP leader said.

“The situation in Afghanistan is alarming. Wherever in the world people suffer from hunger and poverty, it is natural for unrest to rise,” he said.

He said that it was worrying that after the Kabul and Kunduz blasts, dozens of innocent civilians were killed in a suicide attack in Kandahar.

He said that “incompetent rulers are mortgaging” Pakistan to save their seats and giving the gift of massive price hike to people to implement conditions of the International Monetary Fund.

He said that massive damage occurred in Harnai due to earthquake but human losses remained low due to hot weather. The earthquake victims had been forgotten by the federal government.

“On the directive of party leader Asfandyar Wali Khan, the ANP/ Khudai Khidmatgar Organisation have donated Rs1 million for the quake victims,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2021