PESHAWAR, Nov 13: The Awami National Party has set up a committee which will review the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) bill after which the party will decide on supporting or opposing the new tax, ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan told a news conference at the Chief Minister’s House here on Saturday.
“A committee has been formed under Senator Muhammad Adeel that will give its report on the RGST after which the party will declare its stance on it,” he said, adding that the party would accept any decision that would benefit masses.Fight against terrorism would continue till its elimination, he said, asking people to support the government to wipe out terrorism from the country.
Flanked by ANP’s central general secretary Ihsan Wayne, provincial president Afrasiab Khattak and others, the ANP president expressed concern over the targeted killing of Pakhtuns in Karachi and demanded a grand operation there to achieve peace.
“Karachi is a city of all people living in Pakistan and it doesn’t belong to one group. We will never accept the dominance of one group in Karachi,” he said without naming the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. Establishment of peace in the port city was in the interest of all Pakistanis, he said, adding that a full-scale operation in Karachi was the only solution to the crisis.
Mr Khan said that there was no question that he or his comrades would quit politics under pressure from the militants. He said that terrorists would be fought with much force and resolve to get rid of them and provide peace to people. He said that the ANP had given sacrifices by opposing militancy and it would not hesitate to fight them and give more sacrifices.Answering a question, he said that there was no possibility of replacing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor at the moment.
Mr Khan said that the federal government should extend full support to the flood victims without putting conditionalities for helping them. He said that the ANP-led government was trying its best to support the flood-stricken population without discrimination.
He said that the conditionalities of the World Bank and IMF for helping the flood-hit people should be rejected. He said that the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) was a hotbed of terrorism and without an aggressive operation there attainment of peace elsewhere in the country would be a madman’s dream.
The ANP president said that the party’s internal election had been deferred for six months due to law and order situation. He said that the election was due to be held in April.
However, he said that party membership drive would start in February next year that would continue till June.“We have not received any demand so far from the captors of Ajmal Khan, vice-chancellor of the Islamia College University,” he said, adding that he had been shocked over his cousin Ajmal Khan’s kidnapping more than anybody else. He said that Khan was being held by militants in Waziristan.