PESHAWAR, Sept 3: Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mahmood Khan Achekzai has held intelligence agencies responsible for the present political uncertainty and mess where political non-entities backed by the agencies are running the show.

Speaking at the Peshawar Press Club's Meet the Press programme here on Friday, Mr Achekzai claimed that the growing influence of secret agencies had brought the country to the verge of disintegration. The political parties had been reduced to the level of pressure groups, which lacked clear-cut political programmes and manifestos, he added.

"Unless secret agencies and armed forces go back to their main task, the country is destined to face a permanent military dictatorship. Our political system, that revolves around interests of a select class, has become a joke in the world," Mr Achekzai observed.

He said Pakistan was a multinational state which was being run by the Punjab, a dominant nationality, which was not ready to listen to and redress problems and complaints of three smaller nations. This state of affairs, he said, was stressing the need for inking a new social contract between five main nationalities of Pakistan.

Mr Achakzai called upon the rulers that if they wanted to keep the federation intact they should form a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution reflecting aspirations of all the nationalities.

He said the demand of the new constitution was neither unlawful nor unjust, instead it was a genuine demand by smaller nationalities. If the present rulers could offer the three small federating units a solution of their demands within the framework of the 1973 Constitution, the three small nationalities would not demand a new constitution. The successive military rulers had tampered with the 1973 Constitution and amended it to suit to their interests.

The PMAP chief said: "Pushtuns demand their due rights in Pakistan, otherwise they are not ready to live like second-class citizens of the country. We have been struggling to unite all divided Pushtuns under one umbrella. We lack an identity.

We are treated like slaves even on our own soil. This state of affairs needs to be changed immediately," he added. After the end of One-Unit, he said, military rulers had deprived the Pushtuns of their (Commissioner's) province in Balochistan and Seraikis of Bahawalpur province, which had their own elected assemblies.

Since then both Pashtuns and Sraikis had been fighting for their identity within the Federation of Pakistan, he added. Mr Achekzai denied that Baloch nationalists were opposed to social development or the construction of seaports along the Makran Coast. The Baloch people were not ready to be converted into a minority like Red Indians in America, he added.
 DAWN 04 September 2004

PESHAWAR, March 17: Bashir Ahmed Bilour, the head of the newly set up ANP organizing committee, called on deposed provincial committee head Begum Nasim Wali Khan here on Thursday.

According to a press release issued by senior party leader Mian Iftikhar, Mr Bilour, who also heads the parliamentary group of the ANP in the NWFP assembly, visited Begum Wali to inquire after the health of veteran Pukhtun nationalist leader Wali Khan here on Thursday.

Mian Iftikhar said that Begum Wali congratulated Bashir Bilour on his appointment. The party's central working body established the organizing committee on Wednesday after dissolving the ANP's NWFP committee headed by Begum Wali.

Later, the newly appointed head of the NWFP ANP and senior vice-president of the party Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour visited the house of senior party leader Ajmal Khattak to discuss party affairs.

The press release claimed that Mr Khattak also expressed confidence in Mr Bilour and assured his support to him. "Mr Khattak said the ANP has been put on the right track," said the press release.

Meanwhile, according to another press release, the newly appointed provincial party chief has convened the maiden meeting of the organizing committee on Saturday at the party's headquarter at Peshawar.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali and other senior leaders of the party belonging to the Frontier province would attend the meeting. The party head would administer oath to the members of the organizing committee, it contained.

DAWN 18 March 2005