KARACHI - The Awami National Party would not organise any big ceremony in connection with the Independence Day due to the persistent terror threats from the Taliban.
Talking to TheNation, ANP Sindh chief Senator Shahi Syed confirmed that his party leaders and workers are still facing severe terror threats all over the country especially in Karachi where they had suffered various suicide attacks during general elections last year. He said the law and order situation is still not suitable for political activities as the party has been the prime target of the Taliban. He unveiled that scores of his party workers have been kidnapped for ransom by the terrorists who are also targeting the ANP leaders. He claimed that his party could organise a big gathering of more than 10 million people only if it is given a chance with proper security in Karachi.
The ANP Sindh chief disclosed that his party is not going to hold any big public gathering ahead of Independence Day celebrations keeping in view the terrorists threats to the party workers and leadership, adding that the day would be celebrated with simplicity, paying tribute to the martyrs.
Talking about the current political scenario and enforcing the Article 245 in Islamabad, he said that PM Nawaz Sharif played a key card by calling in the army in Islamabad considering that their survival depended on the military`s support. He said that enforcing the Article 245 was not a good tactic by the PML-N led federal government in the current situation. He said his party opposed the decision as it is not in the interest of the nation. “The PM should handle issues politically to let the democracy flourish in the country,” he added. He declared that the ANP was not in favour of any anti-government rallies but invoking the Article 245 ahead of the PTI’s Azadi March on August 14 in Islamabad showed that the PML-N government doesn’t believe in the democratic right of the protest of the opposition parties.
To a question about PTI and PAT’s anti-government rallies, Shahi was of the view the rallies and sit-in protests aimed at the toppling the current government was not a good move as it would derail the country’s democratic system.
He said that PTI chairman Imran Khan claimed to gather ten million people and is making an attempt to end the PML-N government. But the PTI’s plot of toppling the PML-N government through staging mass gathering is not a good practice for the democratic system because Imran`s possible government could also face the similar situation in future, he added.
Shahi said the ANP believed in bringing the electoral reforms though Parliament, advising that the true democratic forces of the country should focus on the issue. He said that forcing the people to influx on roads would not yield positive results for the current scenario, adding that bring electoral reforms through Parliament is the only solution to the issue. He said the ANP believes that both parties should avoid confrontational ways keeping in view the country’s current situation.