Asfand declares intra-party elections from next year

• ANP’s central council suggests a friendly relationship with Iran, Afghanistan and India

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan announced the schedule for the intra-party elections and named former minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain as chairman of the central election commission to supervise the overall process of the intra-party elections.

Briefing journalists in Bacha Khan Markaz after the meeting of the party’s central council, Asfandyar said that they were holding an intra-party election in the month of July but due to general elections the process was delayed till now. The meeting was attended by ANP vice president Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti and ANP parliamentary leader in Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Hussain Babak.

As per schedule announced by the ANP chief, the election commission would be constituted from October 1 to October 30, 2018. In the next phase, membership will be held at the ward, tehsil and the district level from January 1 to January 30, 2019, while the elections for the district cabinet and the district council will be held from February 1 to February 30, 2019.

Similarly, the elections for the provincial council and the provincial cabinet will be held from April 1 to April 30 while elections for the central council and the central cabinet would be held from May 1 to May 30, 2019. He said that Iftikhar Hussain would be the chairman of the election commission while Syed Aqil Shah would be a member from KP, Dawood Khan would be a member from Balochistan, Younis Buneri from Sindh, Mohammad Akram from Seraiki belt.

This time, the membership form would be available with the party leadership at the provincial level and they will publish and distribute their form on their own. The central and the provincial election commission would address grievances at the provincial and the central level. Asfandyar said that the ANP central council meeting also discussed the issue of the Kalabagh Dam.

In 1986, he said that the first resolution was passed by three assemblies unanimously against the construction of the mega dam. He said that the chief justice should arrest those who could not be paid attention to the dams and in the last 32 years since 1986, they could construct more dams without discussing ‘controversial’ projects.

He said that there were rumours that some elements want to amend 18th constitutional amendment and cut the funds of the provinces but ANP warned those elements that this would be the matter of ‘do or die’ for ANP. He said that ANP would strongly resist if 18th amendment was amended.

The meeting suggested a friendly relationship with three neighbours including Iran, Afghanistan and India. He said that a large number of people migrated from eastern border and similarly large number of the Afghan nationals come to this country as a war refugee but they were not granted nationality despite living for several decades having three generation.

He also backed PTI suggestion to give nationality to the Afghan nationals and it was the international charter that wherever a child was born he would be termed resident of that country. He said Imran Khan now backtracking from his stance regarding nationality to the Afghan nationals.