Total Pageviews

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Obah pa daang nah biyalay gee . / Water can't be separated by hit of a stick.

ANP, PkMAP setup new political alliance
The Frontier Post.
PESHAWAR: Two major and important Pakhtun nationalist political forces Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) agreed to make a political alliance for the protection of Pakhtun rights. The unexpected decision of alliance between two parties had been taken in an important meeting at Islamabad during the negotiating committees of both parties on Wednesday. Members of committees discussed the matter regarding the issue for more than seven hours and finally agreed to finalize a formula for alliance at the end. According to the reliable sources a convening committee was announced on the occasion to finalize the terms and conditions for further development. ANP President Asfandyar Wali Khan will be the chairman of the committee. Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour led ANP negotiating team was comprised of Afzal Khan, Latif Afridi, Dr Himayattullah and commander Khuyadad Khan. On the other hand, PkMAP team comprised of senator Abdur Rahim Mandukhel, Nawaz Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Akram Shah, Mukhtiar Yusafzai and Dr Syed Alam Mehsud. Both parties gathered at Parliament Lodges Islamabad while parties' chiefs Asfandyar Wali Khan and Mehmud Khan Achakzai were in touch with their teams for guidance. Both parties discussed the present political situation in the country and agreed that formal political alliance was the need of day and it was important for the survival of Pakhtun nation especially in ongoing critical geo-political situation in the whole Pakhtun belt including Afghanistan. According to a committee member, the negotiating environment between both teams was friendly and fruitful and both were sincere for the expected result and that was the reason that two parties pick up the points and discussed the differences with open minds. According to sources of this daily, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Afzal Khan Lala, Latif Afridi from ANP side and Abdur Rahim Mandukhel and Ayaz Jogezai from other side played a very positive and responsible role to finalize the decision of alliance. Both Parties were agreed on the basic points regarding the joint political struggle to ensure the protection of Pakhtun rights including the election alliance and also on proposed option of merger of both parties in near future. The two nationalist parties negotiated the agenda and points including the struggle for the restructuring of the proposed structure of Pakhtun province and her renaming, the joint struggle for the restoration of peace and stability in Pakhtun region, strong opposition against the military rule and end to the role of intelligence agencies in politics and also demand for a favourable and acceptable constitution for provinces in the country. No major rift and differences between both parties on this occasion was observed. It may be mentioned here that Asfandyar Wali Khan and Mehmud Khan Achakzai took basic decision for alliance during a meeting held on May 15 at Karachi. Asfandyar Wali and Mehmood Khan Achakzai during their stay in London agreed to make an alliance. Sources said both the leaders were in tremendous pressure by their parties as the scenario in Pakhtun belt needed these two elder Pakhtun leaders to remove their differences and come to a platform which will remove the grievances of the nation. Some Pakhtun political observers hailed the decision of the top leadership of these two parties and term it a milestone for Pakhtuns sovereignty. A political leader told The Frontier Post that since long these two leaders should have come together and gave an example of election 2002 results in Chaghi, Balochistan, where Maulana Hafiz Hussain of MMA won the election by nineteen thousands votes whereas ANP got five thousands vote and PkMAP got fourteen thousands vote. He said if they had an alliance Hafiz Hussain Ahmad would have never won the election. The politician claimed that the same situation was in other Pakhtuns area. In a typical Pakhtun style he said, ‘‘Obah pa daang nah biyalay gee.’’ (Water can't be separated by hit of a stick’.

No comments: