PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party celebrated its historic victory of giving a new name of ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ to the province during its rule in an event called ‘Jashn-i-Khyber’ organised here at Bacha Khan Markaz.

In April 2010, the ANP government was successful in doing away with the century-old name of North West Frontier Province and took pride in renaming the province as ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’. The name was picked from among a few and though ANP insisted on just Pakhtunkhwa, 80 senators voted in favour of the new name for the province.

The ‘Jashn-i- Khyber’ celebration was supposed to be held at the ANP’s offices in the districts, FRs and even tribal areas on Tuesday afternoon, but a suicide attack in Mardan, the home district of the ANP’s provincial and central presidents, dampened the already disorganised celebration which started late and lacked the usual vigour and purpose such gatherings held at Bacha Khan had in the past.

‘Jashn-i-Khyber’ celebrations held in Peshawar

Party’s general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain, provincial general secretary Sardar Babak and other leaders spoke of how important it was for the people of the province to have a name and identity.

“From Khudai Khidmatgars to today’s party worker everyone struggled to have this identity and name. It is an occasion to be proud of for them all,” said Mr Hussain.

The Pakhtun Student Federation activists wearing red caps and old bearded men, including some Khudai Khidmatgars, all looked happy to be celebrating the occasion.

“We indeed are very happy to have this name. It was not given in charity, but due to a long and hard struggle,” said Liaquat Ali, an elderly man hailing from Adezai area of Peshawar who remained associated with ANP all his life.

Hazrat Ghulam, a Khudai Khidmatgar associated with the party since 1930, felt pride in sharing how he saw his father help Bacha Khan protect in their hujra when government forces conducted a crackdown in the area to arrest him.

“It was a punishment not to give us our name, but Bacha Khan and the party had struggled for this right,” said the elderly Hazrat Ghulam who had brought his seven-year-old grandson to the celebration and insisted that he wore the red cap.

He said that Bacha Khan despite being a Khan and having huge property struggled for the rights and education of Pakhtuns.

He said the name of the province gave them recognition as earlier North-West Frontier Province looked more like a geographical location than a vibrant place having an identity, culture and code of life depicted through the very name.

“We had promised people of the province and we kept the promise. That is why we need to celebrate this day,” said Sardar Babak who is also the party’s voice in the provincial assembly.

Mr Babak said that the ANP government had struggled for getting rights and autonomy of the province and its people, but Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government and its coalition partner Jamaat-i-Islami had been ruining that work.

Malik Naseem, president Peshawar district, also applauded the ANP and its leaders for renaming the province and giving identity to its people.

Some young activists also felt pride in the fact that the name of the province gave them an identity too. “I am happy for this province to have been renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but more important is the fact that we should have those qualities a Pakhtun is known for,” said a teenage party activist Shah Said.

Party’s president Asfandyar Wali Khan’s absence was felt as ever on an occasion where young and old party workers expressed their happiness to have the province renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2016