PESHAWAR: Awami National Party has stressed the need for peaceful, cordial and trade-oriented relations with all neighbouring countries including Afghanistan, saying lasting peace and prosperity in the region depended on diplomacy rather than conflict.

Speaking at a ceremony organised by the Khudai Khidmatgar Organisation at Bacha Khan Markaz, Mian Iftikhar Hussain president of Awami National Party Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said the Pakhtun region had suffered from war, militancy and bloodshed for the last five decades.

He said that while ceasefires between states could be achieved within days, violence and terrorism continued unabated in Pakhtun areas, where blood was being shed on a daily basis.

Mr Hussain said his party believed in the non-violence philosophy of Bacha Khan and maintained that wars only deepened crises instead of resolving them. He urged that all disputes with Afghanistan should be settled through diplomatic and political means.

Mian Iftikhar seeks political solution to issues

“The Pakhtun population living on both sides of the border is paying the price of war and violence,” he said, adding that friendly regional relations could open new avenues for peace, development and economic prosperity.

The ANP leader also alleged that certain forces had turned unrest in the Pakhtun belt into a “profitable business” aimed at gaining control over the region’s natural resources and minerals.

Referring to the party’s political achievements, he said that under the leadership of Asfandyar Wali Khan, the ANP had secured constitutional rights over provincial resources and played a key role in the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan. However, he claimed that the amendment had effectively been rendered inactive.

Despite being rich in resources, the province continued to face deprivation, insecurity and underdevelopment, he added.

Mr Hussain praised the welfare and relief activities of the Khudai Khidmatgar Organisation, particularly during floods and through Ramadan food distribution drives and said public service remained both the party’s politics and mission.

Special prayers were also offered during the ceremony for lasting peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and for the departed souls of religious scholar Maulana Sheikh Idris Shaheed and other martyrs.

Awards and certificates were distributed among volunteers and office-bearers of the organisation in recognition of their social and welfare services.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2026