ISLAMABAD: Warning against any unconstitutional step or misadventure, chief of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Sunday said any extra-constitutional move can endanger the very existence of the country.
“There should be neither any role for intelligence agencies in the national politics nor should the will of the parliament be undermined,” Achakzai told a gathering of his party workers here in Islamabad.
A large number of people from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and parts of FATA attended the public gathering.
Achakzai said Pakistan would navigate on path to progress and prosperity if parliament is kept supreme and elected representatives have final say in country’s foreign and internal policies. “The country’s constitution binds various tribes of Pakistan but if you touch the constitution in an unconstitutional way then it tends to shake the very foundation of the country,” he warned.
He said that the entire Pashtun tribe is in disarray and is being defamed, killed and maimed on one pretext or another in parts of country.
He said that Pashtun tribe has rendered sacrifices for the country more than any other tribe but still they are facing problems and repeated searches at every check post.
On the future status of FATA, the PkMAP chief said that tribal belt should be given the status of a separate province, otherwise his party would offer stout resistance to merging FATA with KP.
He said FATA people should elect a jirga of elders besides electing a governor who could discuss problems of the people with president of the country.
In addition, he said, the political agent of a tribal region should work as secretary of the elected council, which would pave way for people to have a say in their affairs. “FATA people should be given every rights to decide their own fate whether they want merger with KP or opt for a separate province,” he said.
On the recently held census in the country, Achakzai vehemently rejected what he called the ‘bogus’ exercise at a time when millions of computerized national identity cards (CNIC) of Pashtuns were blocked. “We demand that fresh census be conducted in FATA and parts of KP,” he said.
Achakzai said Pashtuns were being humiliated at every check post by the FC, Rangers, security forces and police, a practice, he said, that is tantamount to grave human rights violation. “I demand the authorities concerned to stop forthwith illegal, unconstitutional and biased approach toward a particular tribe,” he noted.
Referring to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Achakzai said the multibillion dollar project could only be a success if peace is restored in the region. “Peace in Afghanistan is key to success of CPEC project. Pakistan needs to take tangible steps to ensure peace and stability and security for greater economic activity,” he added.
Published in Daily Times, October 23rd 2017.
