PMKP chief told to leave NWFP

Published October 7, 2002

ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: The NWFP government on Sunday ordered Fatehyab Ali Khan, chairman of Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Party to leave the province in view of his “provocative speeches”.

Fatehyab Ali Khan had gone to Charsadda to address a public meetings arranged by his party candidates from NA 8 and its adjacent constituencies.

The Chairman of PMKP, was served the order issued by the Home Secretary NWFP, Mahmood Shah, under Section 5(1)(a) of the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960, addressed his party workers from Attock, by phone.

This is the second time that Fatehyab Ali Khan, has been asked to leave the province recently. Earlier, the Chief Election Commissioner had asked the chief secretary, NWFP, to submit a report explaining why Khan was pushed out of the province.

Talking to Dawn, Khan said that the NWFP, and specially Peshawar valley, is the stronghold of PMKP and he had gone to canvas for his party candidates.

He said that leaders like Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Aftab Sherpao, Asfandyar Wali, Naseerullah Khan Babar, were addressing public meetings, but only he was being barred from doing so.

Khan had demanded of the Chief Election Commissioner to take suo motu notice of the matter and stay the holding of elections in NA 8, and its connecting provincial constituencies, as candidates of PMKP were not being provided the freedom to campaign.

Khan, however, believed that his expulsion order did not come from the “top”, and some mandarins, in collusion with local Khans, were responsible for this.

He said that local Khans wanted to grab the lands which were allotted to peasants in the land reforms.