WALIBAGH is to the ANP what Garhi Khuda Bakhsh is to PPP or Jati Umra is to the Sharifs.

Nestled in the heart of Charsadda, Walibagh stands as a symbol of political heritage. This sprawling homestead in the fertile Bahloli village is the cradle of the Walis, the current flagbearers of Pakhtun nationalist politics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by Asfandyar Wali Khan and his heir apparent, Aimal Wali Khan.

The walls of its drawing room, protected within the secure confines of the hujra behind high walls and security barricade, narrate a 103-year history, tracing the lineage from the British Raj era in undivided India to modern-day Pakistan.

Large portraits of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar resistance movement reverently known as Bacha Khan, his son Abdul Wali Khan, grandson Asfandyar, and great-grandson Aimal, bedeck the light-grey tiled walls.

Also adorning the walls are a collage of their photos with several leaders — from Gandhi to Nehru to Indira Gandhi to her son Rajiv Gandhi, among others, offering a visual journey through the family’s storied political past, both before and after Partition.

Aimal Wali Khan calls himself a disruptor. Will he be able to resuscitate the party’s fortunes this time?

However, Walibagh’s role extends beyond a family residence. It aims to serve as a beacon of Pakhtun nationalism and advocacy for provincial autonomy in the country’s federal system.

After Wali Khan’s demise in January 2006, the leadership mantle transitioned to Begum Nasim Wali Khan, an iconic figure dubbed the ‘Iron Lady’ for her formidable leadership and grip over party affairs, notably as the first Pakhtun woman at the party’s helm during her husband’s imprisonment in the Bhutto era.

However, her stepson, Asfandyar Wali Khan, who had been nursing grievances for some time, swiftly assumed party leadership after his father’s death. The episode led to a familial rift where Begum Nasim launched her own splinter group before eventually reconciling in August 2017. She breathed her last in May 2021.

Now, beset by health challenges, Mr Asfandyar has been away from the political spotlight, devoting time to quieter pursuits like reading, watching news channels and, if strength permits, tending to his favourite pastime: gardening.

So where does Aimal Wali Khan, the youthful scion, see himself in the Walibagh lineage?

Mr Aimal vehemently distinguishes between a dynasty and a legacy, seeing his role as a continuation of a century-long commitment to Pakhtun interests

“I am a disruptor,” Mr Aimal, 37, declares, his trademark laughter punctuating his words. He then settles into a more serious tone: “I don’t see this as a dynasty. This is a legacy of over one hundred years, and its burden is on my shoulders.”

Mr Aimal, an MBA in human reso­urce development, says he was in his late teens when circumstances beckoned him to shoulder political responsibility with his ailing father, Asfan­dyar Wali, compelling his return from Dubai to shore up ANP’s dwindling fortunes.

The October 2008 suicide attack targeting his father turned Mr Aimal’s life upside down. “I was spending my life between Dubai and Pakistan. It was tough,” he recalls. Then came another big jolt — the party’s 2013 humiliating electoral defeat at the hands of the PTI, which reduced the once formidable political force in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to almost a non-entity.

“I had to come and help revive my party. I had no other choice,” he says. “Being the only male child in the family, I had to take that responsibility. It is a huge burden of legacy.”

Mr Aimal vehemently distinguishes between a dynasty and a legacy, seeing his role as a continuation of a century-long commitment to Pakhtun interests, despite the substantial personal risk and political challenges. “Ours is not a dynasty,” he insists. “It just so happened that Walibagh has proven to be a unifying factor for Pakhtuns on this side of the Durand Line. I am the continuation of that legacy,” he says.

But life has not been particularly easy for the heir of Walibagh. He is constantly under serious threat from militant groups, which his party fiercely and fearlessly oppose. Multiple attempts on his life have been thwarted by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, including a notable incident involving a cleric from his own village mosque. Recently, the interior ministry issued a warning about another potential attempt on his life.

The ANP has borne the brunt of militant attacks, with more than 800 party workers and leaders having lost their lives.

“This has changed my life and the way I would have wanted to live my life,” he remarks. “From the outside, this may look like a charming life, but inside, I am in a self-imposed prison. I long for the day when I would take my family out, feast in a restaurant, or play with them in a park. The bulletproof vehicle I drive around in is suffocating, to say the least.”

Despite these challenges, his duties as the party’s provincial president require him to travel frequently, engaging with workers and backing party candidates. “We have learnt our lessons from the 2013 defeat,” he acknowledges.

The party’s membership has more than doubled since 2008, from almost half a million at that time to 1.2 million in 2023. “We are better placed now than we were in 2013,” he confidently asserts.

Mr Aimal disagrees with critics who argue that the ANP should revise its slogans. “We don’t have to change anything. Our slogans are based on Bacha Khan’s philosophy,” he explains, but quickly concedes, “Yes, we need to innovate.”

There is also no dearth of those who criticise his assertive style, often contrasted with the gentle demeanour of Bacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan.

“I am not brash,” Mr Aimal counters. “I call a spade a spade and this is what some people find offensive,” he remarks, lightening the mood with a few anecdotal jokes and his characteristic laughter.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2024

Header image: Aimal Wali Khan, an MBA in human resource development, was compelled to pick up the mantle of ANP’s leadership.—Facebook / ANPMarkaz