PESHAWAR, Nov 13: Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan appealed to the politicians to streamline their efforts to get the country out of the ongoing multiple crises.

He was speaking at a luncheon, hosted by MPA Dr Mohammad Khalid Raza Zakori, from Lakki Marwat, in his honour at a local hotel here on Thursday. Asfandyar said the country was passing through the most critical phase of its history, but some of the politicians were not aware of the enormity of the situation.

He said that it was worst than the conditions Pakistan had confronted in 1970. Asfandyar said that it was intolerable for a conscious person, who had some knowledge of the worsening situation.

He termed terrorism and extremism as problem number one being faced by the country. The ongoing violence and killing in the province, Asfandyar said, had destroyed the very fabric of society.

He said that the people had been made to live in a state of fear. Asfandyar said bread- earning was an issue, but the safety of the citizens was of prime importance. “Are we citizens of a civilised society? Have we not destroyed it by allowing terrorists to wreak havoc in the province?” he said.

Asfandyar denied that it was a war between Islamists and infidels adding, “Islam does not allow bombing at the places of worship and killing of Muslims.” “We have to choose between insurgency and peace. This province is faced with insurgency, not some sort of simple lawlessness,” he said. Asfandyar said the entire society would have to fight against it as it was the duty of the peace-loving forces to stand up against the terrorists.

He opposed the idea that a strong centre was inevitable for a strong Pakistan. Asfandyar said he believed that a strong federation was necessary for a strong Pakistan. The Pakhtunkhwa, he said, needed complete administrative and financial autonomy to materialise its dreams of development and prosperity. Asfandyar said that if Punjab was proprietor owner of wheat and cotton, NWFP was the owner of electricity.

He said that he was ready to sit and talk to the person, who had mastermind a suicide attack on his life, but he would have to abandon his anti-human practice. Asfandyar said he had always supported and opted for talks as it was the civilised way of deciding the issues. He said that use of force was no solution to any dispute, as negotiations were the best option. Asfandyar said, “But we will fight against terrorists. We will not give them (any) space to bring death and destruction to our people”.

About foreign intervention, he said Pakistan would not allow anybody to use its soil against any other country. Similarly, Asfandyar said other countries would not be allowed to use their soil against Pakistan. He said development and prosperity of Afghanistan was akin to the development and prosperity of Pakistan. Asfandyar said a prosperous Pakistan could be helpful to Afghanistan.

NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti also spoke on the occasion and assured Dr Zakori that his government had planned to launch two poverty alleviation projects of Rs1,000 million and one of them would go to Lakki Marwat.

He assured them that Kurrum-Tangi dam was one of the projects, which would be constructed on priority basis.

Provincial ministers, MPAs and Pakistan Muslim League (Q) leader Senator Salim Saifullah and others also attended the event.