CHARSADDA - Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on Saturday dissolved party's central‚ provincial and district level organizations, and said the process of intra-party election would be completed by March 15 next year. The ANP chief also welcomed possibility of talks between the government and the Taliban.
There would be a new membership drive on democratic lines and after this party’s organisation from lower to higher level would be re-elected, Khan told a news conference at Wali Bagh here.
"We are initiating reforms within the party as per the suggestions of our members," he said while adding ANP would complete the membership process by November this year.
He said fresh elections to all party positions would be held under supervision of certain committees in the four provinces. Elections will be held through the secret ballot. He asked party workers to contact him at Wali Bagh in Charsadda if they had any complaints about the process.
Khan told newsmen the process to elect new office-bearers would start in October. Awami National Party was not allowed to run election campaign unlike other parties that did vigorous campaigns using electronic media.
Asfandyar Khan said that despite vote-rigging allegations, his party had accepted the results of the May general elections for the sake of democracy. ANP's election campaign was hampered by terrorism, he said, and claimed that millions of rupees were spent on an election campaign against ANP through electronic media.
Lack of proper contact between the leadership and workers resulted in defeat of the party in the elections. “Due to the security situation, we had limited interaction with our party workers,” he maintained.
ANP, he said, would emerge as a stronger group after going through extensive reforms and reorganisation process.
Meanwhile ANP’s fact-finding committee, which had been appointed by party’s central executive committee to look into the factors responsible for their defeat in May 11 general elections, had presented its report to Asfandyar Wali Khan on Saturday. The committee chairman, Bashir Khan Matta, presented the report.
ANP chief admired the contributions of party workers who turned up before the committee and recorded their frank and critical opinions. Their evaluations, analysis and criticism expressed their concerns and love for the party. The suggestions would go a long way to help the party prepare itself for future challenges. "Party elections and all other organisational activities would take place strictly according to ANP's constitution,” he said.
He assured the committee that in accordance with its specific recommendations the party would make public concrete steps for implementation on September 1.
While responding to a question, Khan welcomed talks with TTP, and said ANP would support solution of the problem through dialogue.
"We were the first ones to hold talks with the Taliban in Swat and Buner. If the solution lies in talks we will support it,” he explained. On Karachi, he said that the problem could not be resolved unless the city was purged of weapons. He said that not all Pakhtuns in Karachi were affiliated with ANP. "Our stance on Karachi has been that until there is de-weaponisation in the city the situation would not be resolved."