Khattak gains strength as ANP dissidents join his party
Amir Mir says Ajmal Khattak's ouster may prove costly to the ANP
Published May 2000 by the Friday times
The May 21 decision by the Awami National Party (ANP) high-command to
expel veteran ANP politician and the party's former president, Ajmal
Khattak, from the party is likely to prove extremely costly for Wali
Bagh. The 75-year old Khattak has launched his own party - National
Awami Party Pakistan (NAPP), which sounds the same as NAP, the old name
of ANP - and has already attracted a number of suspended and
disgruntled ANP parliamentarians.
ANP insiders told TFT Khattak's expulsion, orchestrated through the
party president Asfandyar Wali Khan by Asfandyar's stepmother, Begum
Nasim Wali Khan, has backfired for all practical purposes.
"The party is likely to face some more set-backs following the
defection of two Peshawar-based parliamentarians - Arbab Sa'adullah
Jan, a suspended MNA, and Arbab Mohammad Ayub Jan, a suspended MPA, to
the new party," says a source.
Interestingly, before announcing their decision to quit the ANP, the
two leaders had held a meeting with Mr Khattak at their residence. NAPP
sources said both of them had assured Khattak of their full support to
the new party, besides expressing hope that a majority of other ANP
leaders would follow suit shortly.
Ayub Jan was first elected as an MPA in the 1985 party-less elections.
He retained his seat in the 1988 elections. He also held portfolios in
the cabinets of Arbab Jehangir Khan, Aftab Sherpao and Mir Afzal Khan.
Arbab Sa'adullah is his nephew.
Similarly, two other ANP leaders, Jan Mohammad Khattak and Mian
Muzaffar Shah, also suspended MPAs from Nowshera district, have came
out in support of Ajmal Khattak. The ANP's provincial vice-president
and a suspended MPA from Mansehra district, Zarin Gul Khan, has also
tendered his resignation from the party and has joined Ajmal Khattak's
camp. Another suspended MPA from Swabi, Salim Khan Advocate, who had
resigned as the party's provincial general-secretary, has expressed his
inclination to join the NAPP. Interestingly, the ANP leadership had
warned Salim Khan against meeting with Khattak. "I will remain a humble
servant of the party leadership until they give me the marching
orders," Salim Khan was reported as saying sarcastically.
Although the ANP's central president, Asfandyar Wali, insists that
Khattak was expelled for violating party discipline, the supporters of
the veteran Pushtoon leader allege that he became the target of Begum
Nasim Wali Khan's wrath following his refusal to talk to Chief
Executive General Pervaiz Musharaf for the release of her "corrupt"
brother, Azam Hoti, who is being tried by the National Accountability
Bureau (NAB). Ajmal Khattak was, and remains, the first politician with
whom General Musharaf met on November 26. The meeting was described as
a well-considered and cautious attempt by the military to open its
channels of communication with the political leadership.
While Ajmal Khattak maintained that his meeting with Musharraf was
approved by the ANP leadership, the Khans of Wali Bagh vehemently
denied his claim, saying they were not informed about the meeting.
Sharp differences later surfaced between Khattak and the family members
of Wali Khan and on May 18 the party finally served a show-cause notice
on Khattak "for not toeing the policies drawn by the party's Central
Executive Committee". The senior Pushtoon leader was given three days
to explain his position "as to why action should not be taken against
him for issuing statements contrary to party's policies".
Making public the party's decision at a press conference, Asfandyar
Wali said: "He should simply resign since the party high-command cannot
accept the practice of issuing controversial press statements".
The ANP leadership, annoyed with the former president for the last
several months, actually acted against him when he (Ajmal Khattak)
proposed the setting up of a broad-based national council to decide
important national issues. Khattak had also opposed the restoration of
assemblies or holding of general elections in the country in the near
future while speaking to newsmen at the Peshawar Press Club. The
internal ANP rift actually compounded after party's provincial general-
secretary Salim Khan advocate handed over his resignation to the ANP
high command. Party circles linked Salim Khan's resignation to the
existence of a rebel group opposing the increasing domination of the
party by the Wali Khan family.
Most observers of NWFP politics agree that the political culture of the
ANP has steadily deteriorated. "Much of it has to do with the party's
almost decade-long alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League. The ANP
was always a democratic party and took principled stand on issues. In
the last ten years or so it developed a dictatorial culture, and the
power became concentrated in the hands of a few leaders," says an
analyst who has observed the ANP for a long time.
Some other insiders TFT spoke with blamed this transformation on Begum
Wali Khan and her brother Azam Hoti. "Hoti was closest to the PML
leadership and remained federal minister twice," says a source. Since
the military takeover, Hoti has been charged with corruption. Khattak
was reported to be unsympathetic to Hoti's "plight", which earned him
the ire of Begum Wali Khan.
However, interestingly, while Asfandyar was addressing the press
conference, Khattak was busy meeting with Maulana Fazalur Rehman, chief
of Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam, and Mr Asghar Khan, chief of Tehrik-i-
Istiqlal, floating the idea of a national government. He later held a
meeting with the Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief, Imran Khan, giving rise to
rumours that he has been given a go ahead for the top slot.
However, within a week of his expulsion, Khattak announced that NAP,
disbanded by the Supreme Court in 1973, was being revived in order to
work for the change but without resorting to extremism or violence and
by imbibing the spirit of service to the downtrodden people of the
country. On that occasion, Khattak admitted that he remained a
supporter of Pakhtoonistan in the past but it was never without
Pakistan and now he had decided to amend the party manifesto in the
light of new ground realities.
Khattak claimed that he had launched the party under pressure from the
country's leading like-minded, democratic elements and particularly
those old guards of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement whose families had
rendered supreme sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan.
He said that while the general manifesto of the party would remain that
of the defunct NAP, it would contain certain amendments keeping in view
the basic political, cultural and economic conditions and human rights.
Explaining the basic vision of the new party, Khattak said, "it will
work for a change and will not be a party of the status quo." To a
question, Mr Khattak admitted that NAP's re-incarnation in the past
under NDP or ANP had failed to deliver and the party could not regain
its national stature.
The NAPP leader has claimed that preliminary contacts with the like-
minded leaders in the country have been made and a large number of
prominent politicians will join the new party. This may not be an
exaggerated claim as is indicated by the June 11 merger announcement of
the Pakhtunkhawa Qaumi Party (PQP) with NAPP. The announcement was made
by Latif Khan Afridi Advocate, chief of the PQP. The popularity of the
veteran Pakhtoon leader can be gauged from the fact that his humble
abode, a little off the main Grand Trunk Road down a narrow ally,
continues to draw journalists and politicians, besides a large number
of veteran Khudai Khidmatgars and ANP workers.
A spokesman of Ajmal Khattak told TFT on telephone from his Akora
Khattak residence that a large number of delegations were still
arriving there to reassure the aging leader of their support. The
spokesman said: "Mr Khattak is in constant contact with various
national leaders on his idea of the national reconciliation
commission." However, he did not give details of the plan.
Amir Mir says Ajmal Khattak's ouster may prove costly to the ANP
Published May 2000 by the Friday times
The May 21 decision by the Awami National Party (ANP) high-command to
expel veteran ANP politician and the party's former president, Ajmal
Khattak, from the party is likely to prove extremely costly for Wali
Bagh. The 75-year old Khattak has launched his own party - National
Awami Party Pakistan (NAPP), which sounds the same as NAP, the old name
of ANP - and has already attracted a number of suspended and
disgruntled ANP parliamentarians.
ANP insiders told TFT Khattak's expulsion, orchestrated through the
party president Asfandyar Wali Khan by Asfandyar's stepmother, Begum
Nasim Wali Khan, has backfired for all practical purposes.
"The party is likely to face some more set-backs following the
defection of two Peshawar-based parliamentarians - Arbab Sa'adullah
Jan, a suspended MNA, and Arbab Mohammad Ayub Jan, a suspended MPA, to
the new party," says a source.
Interestingly, before announcing their decision to quit the ANP, the
two leaders had held a meeting with Mr Khattak at their residence. NAPP
sources said both of them had assured Khattak of their full support to
the new party, besides expressing hope that a majority of other ANP
leaders would follow suit shortly.
Ayub Jan was first elected as an MPA in the 1985 party-less elections.
He retained his seat in the 1988 elections. He also held portfolios in
the cabinets of Arbab Jehangir Khan, Aftab Sherpao and Mir Afzal Khan.
Arbab Sa'adullah is his nephew.
Similarly, two other ANP leaders, Jan Mohammad Khattak and Mian
Muzaffar Shah, also suspended MPAs from Nowshera district, have came
out in support of Ajmal Khattak. The ANP's provincial vice-president
and a suspended MPA from Mansehra district, Zarin Gul Khan, has also
tendered his resignation from the party and has joined Ajmal Khattak's
camp. Another suspended MPA from Swabi, Salim Khan Advocate, who had
resigned as the party's provincial general-secretary, has expressed his
inclination to join the NAPP. Interestingly, the ANP leadership had
warned Salim Khan against meeting with Khattak. "I will remain a humble
servant of the party leadership until they give me the marching
orders," Salim Khan was reported as saying sarcastically.
Although the ANP's central president, Asfandyar Wali, insists that
Khattak was expelled for violating party discipline, the supporters of
the veteran Pushtoon leader allege that he became the target of Begum
Nasim Wali Khan's wrath following his refusal to talk to Chief
Executive General Pervaiz Musharaf for the release of her "corrupt"
brother, Azam Hoti, who is being tried by the National Accountability
Bureau (NAB). Ajmal Khattak was, and remains, the first politician with
whom General Musharaf met on November 26. The meeting was described as
a well-considered and cautious attempt by the military to open its
channels of communication with the political leadership.
While Ajmal Khattak maintained that his meeting with Musharraf was
approved by the ANP leadership, the Khans of Wali Bagh vehemently
denied his claim, saying they were not informed about the meeting.
Sharp differences later surfaced between Khattak and the family members
of Wali Khan and on May 18 the party finally served a show-cause notice
on Khattak "for not toeing the policies drawn by the party's Central
Executive Committee". The senior Pushtoon leader was given three days
to explain his position "as to why action should not be taken against
him for issuing statements contrary to party's policies".
Making public the party's decision at a press conference, Asfandyar
Wali said: "He should simply resign since the party high-command cannot
accept the practice of issuing controversial press statements".
The ANP leadership, annoyed with the former president for the last
several months, actually acted against him when he (Ajmal Khattak)
proposed the setting up of a broad-based national council to decide
important national issues. Khattak had also opposed the restoration of
assemblies or holding of general elections in the country in the near
future while speaking to newsmen at the Peshawar Press Club. The
internal ANP rift actually compounded after party's provincial general-
secretary Salim Khan advocate handed over his resignation to the ANP
high command. Party circles linked Salim Khan's resignation to the
existence of a rebel group opposing the increasing domination of the
party by the Wali Khan family.
Most observers of NWFP politics agree that the political culture of the
ANP has steadily deteriorated. "Much of it has to do with the party's
almost decade-long alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League. The ANP
was always a democratic party and took principled stand on issues. In
the last ten years or so it developed a dictatorial culture, and the
power became concentrated in the hands of a few leaders," says an
analyst who has observed the ANP for a long time.
Some other insiders TFT spoke with blamed this transformation on Begum
Wali Khan and her brother Azam Hoti. "Hoti was closest to the PML
leadership and remained federal minister twice," says a source. Since
the military takeover, Hoti has been charged with corruption. Khattak
was reported to be unsympathetic to Hoti's "plight", which earned him
the ire of Begum Wali Khan.
However, interestingly, while Asfandyar was addressing the press
conference, Khattak was busy meeting with Maulana Fazalur Rehman, chief
of Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam, and Mr Asghar Khan, chief of Tehrik-i-
Istiqlal, floating the idea of a national government. He later held a
meeting with the Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief, Imran Khan, giving rise to
rumours that he has been given a go ahead for the top slot.
However, within a week of his expulsion, Khattak announced that NAP,
disbanded by the Supreme Court in 1973, was being revived in order to
work for the change but without resorting to extremism or violence and
by imbibing the spirit of service to the downtrodden people of the
country. On that occasion, Khattak admitted that he remained a
supporter of Pakhtoonistan in the past but it was never without
Pakistan and now he had decided to amend the party manifesto in the
light of new ground realities.
Khattak claimed that he had launched the party under pressure from the
country's leading like-minded, democratic elements and particularly
those old guards of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement whose families had
rendered supreme sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan.
He said that while the general manifesto of the party would remain that
of the defunct NAP, it would contain certain amendments keeping in view
the basic political, cultural and economic conditions and human rights.
Explaining the basic vision of the new party, Khattak said, "it will
work for a change and will not be a party of the status quo." To a
question, Mr Khattak admitted that NAP's re-incarnation in the past
under NDP or ANP had failed to deliver and the party could not regain
its national stature.
The NAPP leader has claimed that preliminary contacts with the like-
minded leaders in the country have been made and a large number of
prominent politicians will join the new party. This may not be an
exaggerated claim as is indicated by the June 11 merger announcement of
the Pakhtunkhawa Qaumi Party (PQP) with NAPP. The announcement was made
by Latif Khan Afridi Advocate, chief of the PQP. The popularity of the
veteran Pakhtoon leader can be gauged from the fact that his humble
abode, a little off the main Grand Trunk Road down a narrow ally,
continues to draw journalists and politicians, besides a large number
of veteran Khudai Khidmatgars and ANP workers.
A spokesman of Ajmal Khattak told TFT on telephone from his Akora
Khattak residence that a large number of delegations were still
arriving there to reassure the aging leader of their support. The
spokesman said: "Mr Khattak is in constant contact with various
national leaders on his idea of the national reconciliation
commission." However, he did not give details of the plan.
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