Haider Hoti demands Fata’s merger with KP

TIMERGARA: Awami National Party (ANP) leader and former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti on Tuesday demanded the federal government to merge the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing at workers’ convention held at Maidan in Lower Dir, Haider Hoti said those opposing the merger of Fata in KP were not sincere to the Pakhtuns. He said the provincial government was facing financial crisis while the provincial ministers were busy installing plaques of own names to the development projects completed during the ANP tenure.

“Getting provincial autonomy, NFC award and changing name of the province were the achievements of ANP government,” he said and added that 800 party workers and leaders sacrificed their lives for the sake of peace in KP besides that of police and security forces, which would always be remembered.  

ANP spokesman Zahid Khan, provincial general secretary and ANP leader of the opposition in KP Assembly Sardar Hussain Babak, district Lower Dir president Hussain Shah Yousafzai and others also addressed the convention.

 “The ANP is not against the game changer CPEC project but it would never allow anyone to ignore Pakhtuns,” Haider Hoti maintained and added that the prime minister should honour the pledges he made in connection with CPEC.