Holding the Awami National Party (ANP) responsible for law and order situation across the country, Fazlur Rehman, chief of his faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, said the ANP has not only forgotten political philosophy of Bacha Khan, but they are even helpless before the Americans.
“No other than ANP leaders are responsible for killing of innocent Pakhtun,” Fazl said while addressing a public gathering on Dalazak Road Peshawar on Sunday. The public meeting was also addressed by Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Amanullah Haqqani and Abdul Jalil Jan. The gathering was arranged for welcoming what the JUI-F claimed the joining of 10,000 people from 11 provincial assembly constituencies of Peshawar. The JUI-F leaders claimed that 4,000 of them resigned from the Pakistan People’s Party, 3,000 from the ANP, 1,500 from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and remaining 1,500 from the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Muslim League. However, not a single name or identity of these 10,000 was declared during the public meeting. Less than 10,000 people showed up at the public meeting, but the JUI-F leaders claimed that the audience were the new entries in the party.
Levelling serious allegations against the ANP, Fazl said, “ANP’s unrealistic policies lead to genocide of Pakhtun.” He alleged that ANP leaders had failed to defend the Pakhtun from the Americans who according to him now occupied Afghanistan. He said that as a result of US presence in Afghanistan, there is unrest in the region and terrorism was being imported into Pakistan from Afghanistan, adding that the ANP was responsible for this.
The cleric claimed that there was no democratic setup in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the province was virtually facing undeclared martial law. He said the rulers had failed to safeguard economic rights of the people. The ANP leadership, he said, had failed on all fronts. Referring to military action and terrorism, Fazl said, “We are against fighting and confrontation whether initiated by the army or Taliban. But unfortunately, armed forces are under tremendous pressure from abroad.”
He claimed that only JUI-F was capable to restore peace in the country. Retaining soft corner for the Taliban, the cleric said nothing about Taliban terrorism. Regarding ANP’s announced All Parties Conference (APC) on terrorism, Fazl said that he was approached by ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan and had supported JUI-F agenda in its tribal jirga. He said, “We have no intentions to issue certificate in favour of the ANP.” He did not comment whether his party would attend the APC or not.