Brig Ijaz Shah’s controversial statement: Pervez Khattak, others to meet ANP leaders today

NOWSHERA: A delegation of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf headed by Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak will visit Awami National Party’s Bacha Khan Markaz, the party head office, today (Monday) to apologise for the recent controversial remarks by Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Shah.

Speaking at a recent ceremony at his hometown Nankana Sahib, Punjab, the interior minister had said the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had in reaction to the ANP policies on terrorism attacked the party leadership and killed many of the party leaders, including Bashir Ahmad Bilour and Mian Rashid Hussain, the lone son of Mian Iftikhar Hussain.

The statement had stirred a strong reaction from the ANP, which had on November 2 called for the interior minister's resignation and formation of a truth commission, saying his statement had belittled the sacrifices of the ANP leaders and activists in the war against terror.

The ANP provincial spokesperson, Samar Haroon Bilour, had said if the interior minister did not resign or was not removed from his office within 10 days, the party would stage a march to Islamabad on November 11 to seek his removal. Talking to this scribe on Sunday, Khattak said he would visit the Bacha Khan Markaz on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan and offer an apology to the ANP leadership and try to remove the misunderstandings created after the statement of the interior minister.

Pervez Khattak said he would be accompanied by Interior Minister Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Shah, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and other ruling party members during a visit to the Bacha Khan Markaz. The federal minister said he would meet the ANP leaders as this party along with other parties suffered a lot in the war on terror.

He said the prime minister was ready to talk to the opposition parties on all issues except for corruption and any concession like National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which was offered to them in the past.