DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Awami National Party central president Senator Aimal Wali Khan on Sunday warned that anyone dreaming of dividing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was “living in a fool’s paradise”, saying the party would resist any attempt to alter the province’s constitutional, geographical or administrative identity.
“Not even a single tehsil, let alone a village council, can be separated from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Mr Khan said in a statement issued from Peshawar.
“The ANP’s position on the identity, historical status and national rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Pakhtuns is absolutely clear.”
He cautioned that any tinkering with KP’s constitutional status would have serious consequences. The ANP, he said, would not only oppose but “resist fully” any such move.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not the personal fiefdom of any individual, government or institution that it can be divided at will,” he said. “For thousands of years it has been the land of Pakhtuns, and the custodian of their history, culture and identity. Any unconstitutional attempt to change its geographical or administrative status will be considered an attack on the rights and national existence of Pakhtuns.”
Mr Khan said decisions about provincial boundaries or administrative status could not be made on the basis of political desires, temporary interests, or the will of those sitting in the corridors of power.
“Those who want to divide Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or arbitrarily change its geographical and administrative status must understand that Pakistan is a federation of different nations, units and identities,” he said. “Weakening the historical existence and identity of any one nation or federating unit is in fact weakening the federation itself.”
He warned that such actions would damage Pakistan’s unity and national cohesion, and those pursuing them “will not be absolved of the responsibility of breaking up Pakistan.”
The ANP leader said the party’s historical position and concept regarding delimitations and administrative units was well known.
He also called on all nationalities, including Saraiki, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Baloch, Gilgiti and Pakhtun, to remain vigilant and strengthen democratic, constitutional and political struggle for the protection of their national identity, historic rights and existence.
“Pakistan’s strength does not lie in erasing any nation’s identity, but in the equal rights, autonomy, constitutional guarantees and mutual respect of all nations,” he said.
