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Today's Paper | May 28, 2024

Published 25 Jun, 2023 06:35am

From The Past Pages Of Dawn: 1973: Fifty Years Ago: Ban on NAP urged

THE Secretary-General of the Qayyum Muslim League, Syed Zia Abbas … deman­ded … [a] ban on the National Awami Party and action against its leaders, who, he alleged, were working against the interest of Pakistan. Addressing a Press conference, Mr Zia Abbas … mentioned the activities of Mr Ajmal Khattak, Secretary-General of the NAP, in Kabul, and quoted his interviews given to Indian … newspapers. He said Mr. Ajmal Khattak had … stated … that Pakh­toonistan and Azad Baluchistan [were] a reality and that he (Mr Khattak) had come to Kabul to muster support for that purpose. Mr Zia Abbas said that Mr Ajmal Khattak went to USSR, Bangladesh and India secretly... .

He said it was … strange that the NAP chief did not know the whereabouts of his party’s Secretary-General in spite of the fact that his interviews were being published from Ka­­b­ul… . Under these circumstances, how [could] Khan Abdul Wali Khan … say that this was being done to give a bad name to his party… . He said that the NAP leaders were … preaching the concept of four nationalities. Khan Ab­­dul Ghaffar Khan, he added … suggest[ed] a confederation of Iran, Sind, Baluchistan, Pun­jab, NWFP, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh.

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