Rafiullah Mandokhel
ZHOB
Chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and the leader of the opposition alliance ‘Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan’ (Movement for the Protection of Pakistan’s Constitution), Mahmood Khan Achakzai, has stated that today the world, particularly in terms of information, has transformed into a global village, where there is a consensus among different states and nations on various values, principles, and laws, including animal rights. However, the occupation of resources of weaker and oppressed nations, interference in their territories, and the continued shedding of innocent blood for vested interests remains unabated.
He made this statement during the inaugural speech of a two-day divisional public representative jirga in Zhob. The jirga was attended by a large number of tribal elders, political party representatives, and individuals from different walk life.
Achakzai stated that for the past five decades, global powers and their local proxies have turned Afghanistan into a battlefield to achieve their global political, strategic, and economic interests. He emphasized that the destruction of Afghanistan is not the fault of any barbaric force but, unfortunately, the states and elites of the world’s so-called civilized nations.
Therefore, ensuring peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan is the responsibility of the states and nations that participated in the Afghan war, which caused destruction, Achakzai emphasized.
Achakzai further remarked that the forms of wars and certain roles played by global powers and their local proxies in this region have changed over time, but these wars show no signs of ending. He said that today, a new wave of bloodshed has begun across Pashtun lands, with terrorism in other parts of Pashtun areas and sectarian violence in Kurram continuing under the guise of sectarian conflict. He stated that the Pashtuns are being massacred and portrayed as terrorists too.
He expressed surprise that, while the natural resources of politically empowered and sovereign nations contribute to their prosperity, for Pashtuns and other politically weaker nations, their own precious resources have become a curse.
Achakzai further stated that military operations have never produced positive results in the past and are unlikely to do so in the future. He reminded that a military operation had already caused the country to break apart once, as political issues cannot be resolved through military operations, but through political negotiations and constitutional supremacy.
Criticizing the current parliament, he said it has become a hub for smugglers and hoarders of black money, where there is no space for debate or decisions on public issues. Therefore, Achakzai emphasized the importance of holding public representative jirgas for resolving public problems.
In conclusion, he strongly condemned the cutting off of Islamabad’s ground link with the rest of the country to prevent the peaceful protest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), calling such actions contrary to democratic principles.
