ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Asfandyar Wali Thursday accepted the election results and said his party was defeated in the May 11 polls because its mandate was snatched through terrorist activities.

He said the party has decided to sit on opposition benches both in National and provincial assemblies.

Addressing a press conference, Asfandyar Wali Khan said that the decision to sit on the opposition benches had been taken by the party’s central working committee.

A meeting in this regard was held in Islamabad earlier on Thursday.

The ANP chief said the party would make efforts to regain its mandate, which had been snatched through terrorist activities. The ANP workers and leaders were restricted to their homes and not allowed to freely participate in the election campaign, he added.

Asfandyar said that a party could not perform in such a situation when it was not provided with a level playing field.

The outlawed Pakistani Taliban had targeted the ANP, along with Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, in the run up to the recently held elections for having secular views. Election rallies of few other political parties also came under attack by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants.

“We thought CEC Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim would adjudicate the electoral contest….but the real referee was Hakimullah Mehsud,” the ANP chief said in disgust.

He said that a committee would also be constituted to find other reasons of the party’s defeat.

Khan said that Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz should respect each other’s mandate.

Replying to a question, the ANP chief said that his party would support the new government in restoring peace in the country– APP/Dawn.com