ISLAMABAD - Clearing its position on Panama Leaks issue, the Awami National Party (ANP) has said that it wants peaceful resolution to the issue and will not support any street agitation.
Talking to The Nation yesterday, ANP leader Afrasiab Khattak said that the ANP has no need to take dictation from any other political party and it will adopt its own strategy to deal with the ToRs issue. He said the PTI is in aggressive mood and prefers street agitation but the ANP wants a peaceful solution to the current situation.
Afrasiab said that ANP has its own ideology and the situation cannot allow it to support any aggressive step against the government before investigation into the issue.
About the arrival of Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) Chief Tahirul Qadri and his announcement of staging sit-in at Lahore Mall Road, the ANP lawmaker said it is everyone’s democratic right to hold protests and raise voice for their rights in a democratic set-up but keeping his (Qadri) past role in mind, Qadri’s move seems dubious.
“It is still unclear whether the PAT chief’s arrival in the current situation is spontaneous or he is coming to follow a script. His approach in the past remained violent and a threat to democratic set-up,” he added.
Another ANP leader Senator Zahid Khan is still hopeful to resolve the ToRs issue peacefully in the coming meeting of the parliamentary committee scheduled to be held on Tuesday.
“We have not given up the negotiations so far. The ANP will not support any street agitation,” he said, adding the PTI’s decision to come on roads in case the deadlock persists is pre-mature and his party will oppose it.
He said both the government and opposition have to show seriousness for reaching an agreement. He said if the situation remained unsolved there might be violence at the end.
He said the timing of the PAT chief arrival in Lahore is another major issue for the government in this confusing political situation. The government should understand the situation to avoid any further political uncertainty in the country, he added.