The Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association (PESA) on Saturday severely condemned the rebellious statement made by Mahmud Khan Achakzai, an ally of the government, about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa being part of Afghanistan.
Achakzai has no doubt grossly violated his oath as the member of the National Assembly and has made himself liable for trial on charges of treason, it said. Supreme Court, parliament, ECP and other institutions must take note of this anti-Pakistan comment by Achakzai, it further added.
“An absence of reaction from our government and foreign office, in particular, is highly intriguing. They must openly condemn this statement. Ignoring every wrong deed of their political supporters is immoral,” the members added.
As per the members of PESA, the lawmaker appears to have taken advantage of the disturbed conditions in the country to indirectly resurrect the dead issue of Pakhtunistan that was killed by Pakhtuns through a referendum with 99.02 % voting for Pakistan and only 0.98 % voting against it.
His clarification that the statement was with reference to history, holds no grounds because, since ancient times, the land now called Afghanistan has been part of Mauryan, Kushan, Mangol, Persian, Greek, Taimur and Mughal empires, it was noted. It was only Ahmad Shah Durrani who tried to unify different tribes and give the shape of a nation.
“Millions of Pakistanis have common ancestors living in India and Pakistan as people of many other countries. As per Achakzai’s logic, should they all be allowed free movements across international borders and based on the ratio of Pakhtun population, should all of the Pakhtun territory become part of Pakistan?” they questioned.
Members of PESA felt that the governor of Balochistan has a moral obligation to repudiate his brother’s statement or resign from his office.
As regards to the future of Afghan refugees, they said, there should be no second opinion that they must return to their own country at the earliest. Till their return, they must be confined to designated camps and their movement to and from Afghanistan be subjected to proper international travel documents, it concluded.