Syed Ali Shah, Manan Mandokhail:
QUETTA: Chairman Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Saturday urged that revenge and hatred, especially those fueled by Imran Khan, should not blind the nation to compromise on democracy. Traditional elections alone cannot overcome the accumulated problems; instead, a stakeholder conference should precede elections.
He expressed these views while addressing a public meeting in connection with the 50th death anniversary of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai at the Ayub Stadium Quetta.
Achakzai emphasized the need for a three-day deliberation to evolve a democratic path leading to democracy. In this context, he appealed to all, including Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal, and Maulana, to rise to the occasion and play their role in achieving civilian supremacy, steering the country out of its present uncertainty and quagmire.
Elections Are Not Only Path To Power Corridors
Achakzai reminded everyone that, to him, elections and democracy are not just paths to the assembly and power corridors but a way of life and creed, for which his leader and father made sacrifices, spending half of his life behind bars. Khan Abdul Samad Khan’s political creed was anti-imperialism and democracy. Achakzai advocated for the establishment of a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ to determine responsibilities for the failure of democracy in the country. He suggested that judges of the supreme judiciary who legitimized martial laws and deviated from the constitution should be named and reprimanded, while those who stood by the constitution should be acknowledged.
Achakzai Backs Chaman Sit-In
Furthermore, Achakzai called for the acceptance of the demands of the Chaman protesters and warned against the escalating violation of human rights. He emphasized the immediate presentation of anyone involved in wrongdoing in a court of law, discouraging forced disappearances. Additionally, he urged the Afghanistan government to promptly convene a grand jirga to counter looming threats.
In a related statement, Abdurahim Ziaratwal asserted that Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party is the mother party of PMAP, registered in the names of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai and later Mahmood Khan Achakzai. He emphasized that no one would be allowed to usurp it. The event also featured addresses by Nawab Ayaz Khan, Abdurauf Lala, Talimand Khan, Dr Mohammad Ali, Mir Kalam Wazir, Amjad Tareen, Haroon Advocate, and Sharraf Agha.
