Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan’s recent snubbing of the hawks within the party has reset the ANP-PPP relations, though some second-line party leaders were in plans of renewing links with the main opposition party – the PML-N.
An ANP source told Pakistan Today that in wake of the lingual and racial strife in Karachi, some party hawks had called for reviewing the party’s relationship with the ruling PPP.
“The ANP hawks, led by Sindh President Shahi Syed, wanted to review the party’s relations with the ruling coalition and wanted to open a dialogue with the PML-N. Under the same strategy, senior ANP leader Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour had met PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Madina, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday and the party had managed to get the story published in the media,” the source said, adding that Bilour had contacted senior PML-N leader Ishaq Dar for arranging the meeting.
The source said both leaders discussed the overall political situation, including ways both political parties could cooperate in the future political scenario.
The source said the meeting between Bilour and Nawaz had discussed future political cooperation between the two parties in the fast-changing political scenario.
However, the source said that back in Pakistan, Asfandyar Wali Khan held a party meeting and snubbed the party leaders, saying the PPP had fulfilled all demands made by the party, while the PML-N had never done so.
When contacted, ANP senior vice president Haji Mohammed Adeel said the party was a coalition partner of the PPP and would support it.
However, Adeel did not rule out a future alliance with the PML-N, saying no one could see through the future.
“No one knows about the future. We have been with the PPP and still are with the government,” he said, adding that it was the PPP government which fulfilled all requirements of the ANP, including the renaming of NWFP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“They also gave us provincial autonomy, increased provincial shares in the National Finance Commission Award, and amended the Federal Crimes Regulation,” he said, adding that despite an alliance with the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif never fulfilled these demands of the ANP. “We stayed with Nawaz for nine long years and got nothing. Now we are with the PPP and got everything we demanded. Now you can better analyse why we are sticking with the PPP,” he added.
ANP leadership should learn to sit on the table with PML(N) and sort out the issues of National importance with an open-mind. Rather than lament on past issues related to Pakhtunkhwa's naming and present issue of demand for splitting the province into more provinces.
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