ANP & PMAP Alliance

ANP, PkMAP alliance likely in future Leaders finalise agenda for joint strategy Aqeel Yousafzai
The Frontier Post

PESHAWAR: Top Leadership of two major Pakhtun Nationalist political forces Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) finalized their conditions and proposals for forming of an alliance between both parties in near future. According to the reliable sources PkMAP rejects the merger of both the parties in its initial stage and suggested that Party would like to make an understanding for the joint political struggle for Pakhtun rights including the contesting of joint elections. An important meeting of ANP, negotiating committee would be held here in Bilour House Peshawar on July 24 to discus the issue and finalize the conditions from this side. Committee members Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Muhammad Afzal Khan, Latif Afridi, Dr Inayatullah and Commander Khuyadad Khan will attend the meeting. From the other side (PkMAP) Senator Abdurahim Mandukhel, Akram Shah, Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Mukhtiar Khan Yousafzai and Dr Syed Alam Mehsud are the members of committee. Both negotiators will discuss the issue on July 25 at Islamabad. Sources said that basic decision of expected alliance had been discussed among Asfandyar Wali Khan (ANP) and Mehmud Khan Achakzai (PkMAP) recently during their detailed meetings in London and both leaders advised the concerned committees to arrange the first gathering for further development to according our sources PkMAP finalize a four point agenda for the meeting, Forming of a new Province based on NWFP, few areas of Tribal belt, and Pakhtun belt of Balochistan will demand of the Party while demand of a new constitution for the country is also a basic point in that agenda. On the other hand ANP defending the 1973 Constitution and Party also doubt regarding the restructuring of the proposed shape of Pakhtun province. Its may be mentioned here that the ANP stand toward 1973 Constitution was the basic reasons of separation between ANP and PONM few years back it is also worth mentioning here that PONM is led by PkMAP Chairman Mehmud Khan Achakzai nowadays after the resignation of former Chief Sardar Attaullah Mengal. According to the sources such two points will be the major hurdles among both parties during negotiations. NFC award is also a difference point between both parties, ANP signed the accord in Nawaz Sharif tenure while PkMAP has been opposing it from very beginning. Meanwhile when The Frontier Post contacted the ANP Central Vice President and Chairman of Committee Ghulam Ahmed Bilour for his comments, he hoped that both parties were serious to make an alliance and leaders felt that joint struggle for Pakhtun rights was the need of the day and public also had been demanding it for the last few years. Bilour pointed out that there was not any major difference on basic issues among both Parties and ANP hoped that its would be a fruitful exercise in this regard.same was reported by PkMAP provincial president Mukhtiar Khan Yousafzai. PkMAP leader said that both Parties had been struggling for Pakhtun rights, restoration of peace, supremacy of the Parliament and proper debate over major issues.