PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has expressed its opposition to recent remarks made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz regarding the creation of a separate province for the Hazara division.
Aimal Wali Khan, provincial president of ANP, argued that such political statements could potentially undermine national unity, especially given the current circumstances.
In a statement, Khan criticised PML-N for its previous attempts to divide Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and claimed that these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. He emphasized that in the current situation, the political posturing of this nature could harm the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance.
On February 9, Nawaz, who is the chief organiser and central senior vice-president of PML-N, announced that her party would create a separate province for the people of Hazara division if they win the next general elections by a two-thirds majority.
In response, Khan pointed out that Punjab, being the largest province in the country, should first fulfil its promise to create a separate province for its southern region.
He also commented that some people were pushing for the construction of the controversial Kalabagh Dam, but that this would never come to fruition.
Khan emphasized the close relationship between the ANP and the people of the Hazara division, describing them as the “pride” of the party. He also called on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to clarify their stance on the creation of a Hazara province, rather than exploiting such political announcements for their own gain.
He claimed that the PTI and PML-N are united in their stance on the division of Pakhtunkhwa.
