Pakistan: Awami National Party chief calls for banning political parties inciting violence

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], November 30 : Awami National Party (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan has called for imposing a ban on any political party that causes violence, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Dawn reported.
While addressing a press conference along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi at the ANP central secretariat in Wali Bagh on Friday, Khan said that Imran Khan-founded party has been working in an undemocratic and nonpolitical manner since its formation and it has always encouraged people to behave in a violent manner.
He called for taking strict action against political parties and organisations that took the law into their own hands and caused violence, like PTI and Tehreek-i-Labbaik. Aimal Wali Khan said that members of ANP in the Balochistan Assembly backed a resolution calling for a ban on the PTI.
He called PTI a "waste that should be disposed of" and added that the state had imposed PTI on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the past 12 years but such decisions did not give good results, according to Dawn report.
Aimal Wali Khan said that governor's rule has not given solution to the problems faced by the people. He said, "The governor won't resolve key issues in a single day, so the governor's rule is no solution," adding that authorities have not contacted ANP's leadership on the matter.
He described "deteriorating law and order" situation in the province a major problem and spoke about violent incidents in Kurram tribal district. He stated that people of entire Pashtun nation were sad due to the loss of lives in the violence that erupted in Kurram, Dawn reported.
Calling terrorism a serious issue, ANP President said, "Terrorism is a serious issue in our province, so we all have to sit together to find its solution. Our province is burning in the fire of terrorism but certain elements are using it to serve their ends." He stated that his party will continue to support people's rights.
He stressed that the current unrest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was part of a conspiracy aimed to push the entire Pakhtun region into a new conflict. He stated, "This issue has gone beyond the scope of the National Action Plan" and called on state institutions to "wake up" for corrective measures.
Aimal Wali Khan warned that the law and order situation would worsen in the coming days and would be more precarious than in the past. He also expressed support for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's right to its resources and stressed that the right is mentioned in the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Earlier, Faisal Karim Kundi held a meeting with the ANP president and invited him to a multiparty conference scheduled to be held at the Governor's House in Peshawar on December 5 to discuss the law and order situation in the province.
Speaking to reporters, Kundi called PTI founder Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi the de facto chief minister of the province. He said that all PTI leaders from the Punjab province have taken refuge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to Dawn report.
He accused Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of inciting unrest in Islamabad instead of "extinguishing fire in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa."