KARACHI, Sept 16: The Awami National Party’s Sindh chapter on Sunday endorsed the formation and the decisions of the All-Parties Democratic Movement and decided to chalk out a strategy in the light of the decisions taken by the APDM central high command.

The ANP executive committee, which met at the party secretariat at Bacha Khan Chowk with Shahi Syed in the chair, also welcomed the Pakhtunkhwa National Democratic Alliance and termed it a manifestation of the aspirations of the people. The committee appealed to the central leadership to consider a merger of the alliance into a single party.

The meeting decided to organise the alliance immediately at the ward and unit levels and launch programmes from its platform to popularise the alliance.

Considering the political situation prevailing in the country, the ANP said the government was “following in the footsteps of a fascist dictatorship,” and called for holding free and impartial elections at the earliest so that power “could be transferred to the real elected representatives of the people.” The party also formed its provincial parliamentary and appellant boards for granting party tickets.

The provincial parliamentary board comprises Shahi Syed, Amin Khattak, Aurangzeb Khan, Mohammad Farooq Bangash and Amir Nawab while the appellant board members are Rana Gul Afridi, Haji Asmatullah Mehsud and Abdul Qayyum.

Shahi Syed said a healthy change in society can only be brought about through the establishment of real democracy and by granting autonomy to the provinces, which would help ensure the solidarity of the country, peace, economic progress and elimination of terrorism.

“Until power is transferred to 160 million people, it would not be possible to throw out the elite from the corridors of power, who continue to form governments through engineered election results,” he added.