PESHAWAR: Awami National Party-Wali (ANP-W) chairperson Begum Nasim Wali Khan has demanded immediate merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking at a rally organised by her party in connection with the death anniversaries of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Bacha Khan) and his son Khan Abdul Wali Khan and late nationalist poet and former Awami National Party president Ajmal Khattak, the elderly leader recalled how Bacha Khan struggled for peace.

The ANP, led by Asfandyar Wali Khan, had commemorated the death anniversaries of its leaders jointly last month. ANP-W, a splinter faction formed by Naseem Wali, the wife of late Wali Khan, also observed the anniversary in Jinnah Park, Peshawar, on Sunday.

Criticises PM for excluding Baloch, Pakhtuns from health card scheme

Despite being frail and elderly Nasim Wali managed to speak on all current political issues concerning the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata.

She said that in fact Bacha Khan should have been given a Nobel Peace Prize since he spent around 33 years in prison and his life spreading the message of peace in streets. She told the gathering that she fully supported the union of Pakhtun tribes with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She said that different names such as Mohmand, Wazir, Dawar, etc should not divide them and called for merger of Fata with KP.

“Certain elements are favouring referendum on this issue to advance their personal goals. I reject referendum,” she said and narrated how people of Fata suffered under conflict. She said that the US had a hand in all the destruction, including that of the houses of tribal people. She called upon Pakhtuns to unite for their rights.

“I am ready to fight for the rights of Pakhtuns, she said.

Nasim Wali criticised Mr Asfandyar for earning a bad name for his father in politics as he bargained on heads of Pakhtuns and hurt their sentiments. She also criticised why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was excluding the Baloch and Pakhtuns from the health card scheme, while giving the facility to the people of Punjab only. She referred to the blocking of CNICs of people in Pakhtun areas and demanded of the government to resolve this issue before holding population census.

She said that her party would fight for the due share of Pakhtuns in the Pak-China Economic Corridor project. She said that before calling a third all-party conference on such a serious issue, the government should explain what it had done regarding the suggestions and reservations raised in the first two APCs.

Published in Dawn February 13th, 2017