Sheraz Ahmad Sherazi
Awami National Party (ANP) Central President and Senator Aimal Wali Khan has reiterated his party’s opposition to the imposition of Governor’s Rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that although such measures are constitutionally permissible, the party considers them contrary to democratic traditions.
Speaking to the media during Governor Faisal Karim Kundi’s visit to Wali Bagh, Aimal Wali Khan said that no political party committed to democracy should regard emergency rule or Governor’s Rule as a positive democratic precedent.
He said it was unfortunate that the state had only now recognised the seriousness of the issue of terrorism, adding that the ANP had been warning for the past 13 years that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had shown leniency towards militants.
He alleged that an alliance involving the former establishment, PTI and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had existed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for several years. He further claimed that militants had been offered offices and provided with financial support through donations and extortion payments.
The ANP chief said Pakistan had repeatedly suffered because the establishment’s approach towards terrorism changed whenever the ruling power structure changed. He added that the current military establishment had now declared militants enemies of the nation rather than strategic assets, but the PTI-led provincial government had refused to align itself with that position.
Commenting on the possibility of Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Aimal Wali Khan said that if the measure was a bitter pill for the province today, Pashtuns had been enduring bitter realities for years.
He said the ANP considered Governor’s Rule undemocratic and maintained that the PTI’s previous three terms in government had also not come through a genuinely democratic process. He alleged that the ANP’s mandate had been stolen to bring PTI into power.
Aimal Wali Khan said the ANP’s key concerns included the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, the 18th Constitutional Amendment, and the rights of the province over mines and minerals.
Referring to Governor Faisal Karim Kundi’s assurance that the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not be compromised, he said he was prepared to go even further in advocating for the province’s interests.
“I am ready to sit with anyone for the betterment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said, adding that he had previously extended a similar offer to PTI while it was in power.
He thanked Governor Kundi for visiting Wali Bagh in accordance with Pashtun traditions, saying such traditions had gradually disappeared from provincial politics.
The ANP president said his party would not engage in criticism merely for the sake of criticism and would support the governor whenever the rights and interests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were at stake.
Aimal Wali Khan stressed that accountability must apply equally to everyone and should not be used as a tool for political victimisation.
He said there should be no political deals in the name of accountability and rejected the idea that people could be absolved of wrongdoing simply because a video had surfaced.
He also called for the restoration of the Constitution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reiterating that the province’s rights, democratic principles and constitutional protections must be safeguarded.