They were speaking at the 15th death anniversary of a Pakhtoon freedom fighter and preacher of non-violence, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan.
The leaders said that the expected US attack on Iraq was not aimed at bringing peace in the region, but rather the Bush government had its own nefarious designs to accomplish.
They demanded enforcement of Islamic Shariah at least in the province as the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) had received a huge mandate of the masses in the name of Islam.
They termed the failure of the ANP in recent elections a conspiracy of secret agencies against Pakhtoon nationalist forces.
The ceremony at Nishtar Hall was addressed by former central president of the ANP, Asfandyar Wali Khan, former provincial minister Begum Naseem Wali Khan, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Fareed Khan Tofaan, Malik Darya Khan Zakhakhel, Haji Mohammad Adeel, Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Bashir Pakhtoonyar.
The speakers paid glowing tributes to Bacha Khan and said that he fought against the colonial forces before the independence and rendered valuable sacrifices for the rights of Pakhtoons after the creation of Pakistan.
Asfandyar Wali said that the rights of Pakhtoons had been usurped by aliens; the natural resources were being controlled by other provinces and Pakhtoon children were roaming in other provinces for the sake bread and butter. He said that the elements which believed that the ANP could no longer safeguard the rights of Pakhtoons, were living in a fool’s paradise.
Mr Khan said that there were ups and downs in politics, and though the party was defeated in the previous elections, but had recovered itself. The defeat had infused new spirit in the party, he added and slammed Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao for hoodwinking the Pakhtoons in the name of provincial rights.
Begum Naseem Wali Khan said that Bacha Khan was a great ambassador of peace and non-violence and remained stuck to his principles till his death.
She said: “The party can be defeated in elections through unfair means, but no one can stop the ANP from raising its voice for the rights of Pakhtoons outside parliament.”
She said that the ANP never deviated from Bacha Khan’s politics, whose main principles were based on anti-establishment and anti-imperialism policies.
Earlier, Haji Mohammad Adeel admitted that the party, besides other reasons, lost the previous polls also due to deviation from the Bacha Khan politics.