Asfandyar asks CJP to punish Wapda instead of Kalabagh dam opponents

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali Khan on Monday said that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) should take action against the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) instead of threatening the opponents of Kalabagh Dam project.

Talking to reporters after the ANP general council meeting at Bacha Khan Markaz, he said three provinces had been opposing the dam since 1986 while Wapda had failed to construct an alternative dam. He said several dams could have been constructed during these 32 years.

The ANP leader said that rumours were doing the rounds about changes to the 18th constitutional amendment. “We secured provincial autonomy after a long struggle and would not give it up so easily,” he said, adding that ANP would not let anyone reduce the share of provinces in the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

He warned that his party would go to any extreme to protect the interests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On the issue of relations with neighbouring countries, the ANP president said that Pakistan had strained relations with three out of its four neighbours.

He pointed out that Pakistan’s foreign minister said they wanted relations with India on the basis of equality, but the government opposed the same demand made by Afghanistan.

Asfandyar Wali said that Afghans were brought to Pakistan and were used for strategic purposes and when the Prime Minister announced granting citizenships to them it was opposed.

He criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for making the announcement about citizenship rights for Afghan refugees without getting permission from his “selectors”.

The ANP chief said his party would take part in the by-elections despite reservations. “When the entire election was stolen, the by-elections would not matter,” he remarked.

He asked the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to step down as he was wasting time and money of the nation. “The CEC should not waste the public money when he knows he will merely receive the list of selected lawmakers,” the ANP chief maintained.

Asfandyar Wali said that change has taken place in Pakistan as a foreign national has become a minister and his sister became the chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme.

He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was asked to step down so that transparent investigation against him could be conducted, but the same principle was not applied to ‘Kaptaan’.

The ANP leader said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was conducting investigation against Pervez Khattak, but he was made the Minister of Defence. “Nawaz Sharif has even been barred from taking part in political activities. He was removed from the party chairmanship,” he said, adding, PTI leader Jehangir Tareen had been disqualified for life but he was sitting in cabinet meetings.

He said the Chief Justice of Pakistan had not barred Jehangir Tareen from taking part in political activities and government meetings.

Asfandyar Wali said instead of asking Pervez Khattak to head the committee to investigate the election rigging issue, a forensic investigation should have been conducted. He said the opposition parties would take a decision whether to accept the Pervez Khattak-led parliamentary committee or reject it.