Asmatullah Hanafi:
PISHIN: Chief of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Mehmood Khan Achakzai termed improvement in Saudi-Iran relations a good omen for peace in the region. Addressing a mammoth public meeting in Pishin on Tuesday, the senior parliamentarian urged India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to also follow the precedent set by the two arch rivals of the past.
A better relationship between Iran and Saudi Arab will have positive political, social, and economic impacts on our region and largely on the Middle East as well as on the Muslim world, he elaborated. It would also reduce sectarian issues.
Pakistan, India and Afghanistan should follow
Achakzai urged Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan that without wasting time they should also initiate such a move immediately for normalizing their bilateral relationship.
Regarding the current political and economic crises in the country, Achakzai said that judges, generals,s and politicians all should follow and obey the constitution. “We would not allow anyone, whether Judge, general or politician, to impose their dictatorship and warned that we will resist judicial marshal law”, the PKMAP Chairman warned.
Judges should follow law and constitution: Achakzai
Achakzai calls upon the Judges to administer justice as per the law and constitution, not on the bases of personal and political biases.
He maintained that no democratic mind person can oppose the elections, but at the same time, Achakzai warned that without national consensus and normalizing the current polarized political atmosphere, holding elections can produce fatal results like the 1970s elections.
First, we should ensure that the constitution and parliament are supreme and make a mechanism to ensure that in the future no general or judge can dare to interfere in politics.
Senate should be given powers
To ensure the meaningful representation of small provinces and protect their rights and interests, Achakzai demanded equal status and power for the upper house.
The Senate should also have the power to introduce money bills like national assembly, Achakzai maintained. In Balochistan, Pakhtun and Baloch should have equal representation and rights on the basis of a fifty-fifty formula.
Regarding Afghanistan, Achakzai demanded the international community immediately release the frozen assets of Afghanistan to mitigate the suffering of Afghans.
PKMAP Chairman asks Taliban to allow women to study
He called upon the Taliban to left ban women’s education and respect human rights but also warned that no one has the right to destabilize Afghanistan or threaten its integrity on the pretext of women or human violations.
Besides, he also demanded that Pakistani authorities should open the crossing points e.g Chaman, Badinai, Qamardin, Kadanai, Ghazni, Khost, Torkham and Nawa pass on the Durand Line and establish custom houses to facilitate border trade. The prevailing economic hardships, joblessness, inflation, and poverty in border regions, it provide alternative livelihood opportunities to the local population which can also contribute to peace.
