ANP sees conspiracy against Pakhtoons: Wana operation
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, March 5: Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan has demanded an immediate end to the ongoing operation in Waziristan, Fata, and said that the country was passing through the most critical period in its history.
He said that thousands of innocent Pakhtoons had been arrested but the authorities had not been able to find even one wanted person in the tribal area.
Mr Asfandyar, who was addressing a massive ANP public meeting at the Bacha Khan Chowk here on Friday evening, termed the operation another conspiracy against innocent Pakhtoons and alleged that wanted people were not being arrested because they enjoyed the protection of the authorities to carry out their operation.
The meeting, which was presided over by Sindh ANP president Shahi Syed, was organized to commemorate the 16th death anniversary of Bacha Khan.** The ANP chief pointed out that Taliban and Al Qaeda were not the product of Pakhtoon society.
They were spread from Morocco to Indonesia who were brought from different countries and were sent to Afghanistan to destroy and plunder her. “When we opposed this, we were termed Russian agents.”**
He said it was surprising that after three or four days of adoption of a new constitution by Loya Jirga in Afghanistan, the operation was launched in Waziristan.
“Some 25 to 30 lakh Afghans had been killed but their thirst for blood had not been quenched. They want to spill the blood of Pakhtoons”, he said and added that the very people who had provided escape route from Afghanistan to Al Qaeda had provided them shelter here and there and before carrying out the operation, they were forewarned about the operation so that they could shift to other places before the arrests of Pakhtoons.
**Referring to the 17th amendment, Mr Khan said it had changed the complexion of the entire 1973 Constitution. He said one unit had been imposed on the country by putting all the districts under the control of the federation for six years.
He said provincial autonomy was the only solution to all the problems the country was faced with. He pointed out that Gen Pervez Musharraf did not get vote of confidence from Pakhtoons as he got only 30 votes against the total 124 votes.
Likewise, in Balochistan he got only 28 votes out of 64. As such, Mr Asfandyar asserted, he was not the president of all the four federating units but only of Punjab.**
Begum Nasim Wali Khan, president of ANP NWFP, said that Karachi was the biggest city of Pakhtoons in the world. But it was not a cause for joy as usurping of the rights of Pakhtoons led to this circumstance.
She posed a query: “Why people from other provinces do not go to the NWFP province to seek employment?” She said the NWFP was a fertile valley rich in minerals but the rulers had taken over the resources, forcing our children to become homeless.
She said that Bacha Khan had struggled throughout his life and endured suffering only to secure a better future for the coming generation. Begum Wali Khan said that Kalabagh dam and Thal canal would not be acceptable to Pakhtoons like the people of Sindh. “Why the rulers want to build these projects despite opposition from three provinces? Only to appease Punjab?”
Calling for provincial autonomy, she said if small dams were built instead of Kalabagh dam, this would not only solve the water problem but also generate enough electricity to export it to Afghanistan.
Earlier, in one of the resolutions adopted at the meeting, concern was expressed over non-availability of civic facilities in Pakhtoon settlements in Sindh and demanded resolutions of their basic problems.
In the meeting, many councillors and ward presidents of Jamaat-i-Islami, PML-Q, PML-N, Shabab-i-Milli, PPP and transporters announced their decisions of joining the ANP along with their supporters.
Others who spoke on the occasion were Ehsan Wayne, Sultan Mandokhel, Amin Khattak, Rana Gul Afridi, Farooq Bangash, Bashir Jan, Ashtaman Khan, Abdul Qayyum Salar Zai, Obaidullah Yusuf Zai, Gul Omar Hasan Zai. The crowd gave standing ovation to their top leaders as they were called on the rostrum and waved red flags.
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