Punjabi politicians always criticised the Awami National Party (ANP) and termed it as an Indian agent but in fact the party has always been patriotic, Railways Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said on Monday. He was addressing the Conference for Peace and Democracy organised by the ANP Punjab chapter to pay tribute to the philosophy and efforts of Pakhtun leaders Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan alias Bacha Khan and Khan Abdul Wali Khan. Bilour said that although there were many political parties, which claimed full support for democracy, but most of them joined hands with every dictator but the ANP was the only party, which raised voice against dictatorship and steps to destabilise the country.
”We were not against the creation of Pakistan but against the division of Muslims of this region,” he said, adding that it was the British and Americans, who applied the theory of divide and rule to weaken Muslims. “Now, Muslims are divided in three parts, Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi,” the minister said. Bilour said that Abul Aala Maududi, Ataullah Shah Bokhari, Maulana Inayat, Abul Kalam Azad and Hussain Ahmed Madni were against the creation of Pakistan. Bilour said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faced many wars and there was peace everywhere in the country before Ziaul Haq came into power, adding that good relations with neighbouring countries was the need of the hour.