QUETTA: Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Saturday said that his party believed in parliamentary domination and constitutional supremacy and would oppose all unconstitutional moves in the country.

Speaking at a press conference at the Arbab House after presiding over the party’s council session, he said that the crisis and chaos the country was facing could only be checked if the Constitution was implemented in letter and spirit.

ANP provincial president Asghar Khan Achakzai, MPA Engineer Zamarak Khan Piralizai, Senator Dawood Khan Achakzai and other senior ANP officials were present on the occasion.

“We want the rule of law, parliamentary domination and constitutional supremacy visibly on the ground instead of on paper as without the three pillars, the country’s situation cannot be controlled,” said Mr Khan.

Referring to the accountability cases being pursued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the ANP chief said that the anti-graft bodies should make all those involved in corruption accountable.

Mr Khan regretted that deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif did not fulfil his promise of ensuring a good share in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for smaller provinces but hoped that the new Prime Minister Khaqan Abbasi would prove otherwise.

“We were briefed that the western route of the CPEC is the federal government’s priority and that it [government] will end the feeling of deprivation among the Baloch-Pashtun provinces. But now we feel that the [western route] is not a priority,” said the ANP chief. He warned that changing of the CPEC route would have a dangerous impact on the country and distrust between the smaller provinces and the federal government would increase.

On the issue of merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Mr Khan said: “It is annoying how only two political parties are against the merger while all other political parties and the federal government support [the merger].”

“The people of Fata were not given their due status of Pakistani citizens in the last 70 years. Now it is time to show them that they too are citizens of Pakistan and they have equal rights like the people of other regions,” he said.

Mr Khan said that of the four neighbouring countries, Pakistan had good relations with only one country, while stressing upon the need to revisit internal and external policies to improve foreign relations.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2017