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Aqeel Yousafzai
Around 31 activists of Awami National Party (ANP) were killed in Shabqadar area of Charsadda on February 9, 2008 while another ten ANP activists including one North Waziristan Agency (NWA) party head were killed in a suicide attack in Waziristan just after four days. In Charsadda blast more than 30 ANP workers and supporters were also seriously injured when a corner meeting was underway in a Hujra. Police claimed that it was a suicide attack but ANP leaders including Central President Asfandyar Wali Khan denied police version and argued its was a planted device that made a ditch in the ground.
This was a new series of attacks on the liberal and democratic leadership of NWFP with expanded targets. Prior to this, former interior minister Aftab Khan Sherpao was attacked twice, the latest attack being on Eid ul-Azha occasion in a mosque that killed fifty people and injured dozens others. After that incident Aftab Sherpao left his village and shifted his family to Switzerland. He avoided even visiting his hometown, Charsadda, although he and his son both are contesting elections from there.
It was for first time that unknown militants directly targeted the ANP, a Pakhtun nationalist party. No doubt it was the second serious attempt of militants against another liberal political force after the killing of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. Both parties have been opposing terrorism and Talibanization in the region as a basic party policy from the very beginning. Both have a celebrated history of political struggle for maintaining peace and tolerance. This can be a major reason for militants’ targeting them.
ANP’s Stance on Terrorism and Afghanistan:
ANP is one of the oldest parties of Pakistan following a basic philosophy of non- violence, introduced by Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan who was an important political ally of Indian National Congress during freedom struggle. ANP has also history of good relationship with different Afghan rulers like Amanullah Khan, King Zahir Shah, Babrak Karmal, Najibullah and now Hamid Karzai.
During Afghan Jihad ANP was the supporter of Afghan nationalist leaders like Babrak Karmal and Dr. Najibullah for their pro-Pakhtun policies. ANP leader [late] Khan Abdul Wali Khan was an open critic of pro-Pakistani Mujahideen. After the incident of 9 September, 2001 Wali Khan strongly criticized the al-Qaida presence and hold in Afghanistan. During the last press conference of his political carrier, he demanded of Osama bin-Laden to quit Afghan soil immediately. A big resistance was observed in jihadis against ANP after such an anti-al-Qaida stance of Wali Khan. Taliban and their monitors, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan had then declared ANP as a pro-American force.
After American attack on Afghanistan Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) highlighted the issue as a major slogan in 2002 elections against ANP and the party faced a situation of political isolation among the public and MMA won the election because of its pro-Taliban stance.
ANP’s Relationship with Present Afghanistan:
After the presidential elections in Afghanistan a fresh and close relationship was established between ANP and Hamid Karzai-led Afghan leadership. ANP’s three top leaders Asfandyar Wali Khan, Afzal Khan and Afrasiab Khattak visited Kabul several times and got fully state protocol in the Afghan Capital.
In April 2007 a high level gathering was reported in Jalalabad for the inauguration of Baacha Khan Markaz in which Asfandyar Wali Khan was the chief guest while Hamid Karzai also attended the ceremony with an official delegation. Karzai announced a state medal in the name of Baacha Khan and also a package of education and health for Pakistani based Pakhtun community. After the ceremony Asfandyar Wali and Afrasiab Khattak left for Kabul along with Hamid Karzai where they stayed for one week and held meetings with several American and European officials. In Kabul they enjoyed a protocol of state guests.
After such relationships Taliban and other Jihadi groups seriously noticed that ANP was once again entering in Kabul. These groups wanted ANP to withdraw its support towards Karzai and Americans.
First Attack on ANP in Swat:
During the holy month of Ramadan some unknown militants attacked ANP central leader and former federal Minister Muhammad Afzal Khan in Matta, Swat. He survived but two others were killed in the attack. Earlier Afzal Khan was threatened by militants after his participation in Pak-Afghan Jirga in Kabul. Recently his two nephews along with two others were killed by militants in Bagh Dherai area of Swat on January 25 while few days before ANP Swat president Ayub Khan survived a blast near his residence. It was the beginning of a series of attacks against this nationalist party.
Who was Target of Charsadda Attack?
The ANP leaders Asfandyar Wali, Latif Afridi and Afrasiab were expected to participate in the Shabqadar gathering. ANP workers had made announcement on loudspeakers about Asfandyar’s participation because he was giving much importance to this area (NA-8) from where his candidate Bashir Umarzai is contesting election against Aftab Sherpao. ANP believes that Asfandyar was a target of this attack. Fortunately he avoided attending the meeting and provincial president Afrasiab Khattak became the chief guest.
PPP leader Nasirullah Babar also alleged in a statement that it was a conspiracy against elections to target Asfandyar Wali as it could postpone again the elections. He pointed out that the killing of a Sindh based ANP leader Fazl ur-Rehman Akakhel was also a part of this conspiracy.
Some people argued that ANP provincial President Afrasiab Khattak was target of this attack. Afrasiab has been a target of jihadis from the time when he was the Chairman of Human Rights Commission and was strongly opposing the Taliban through national and international forums. He is also an important figure in Afghanistan while his wife Zahira Khattak belonged to a political family of Afghanistan. Few days back Afrasiab had sent his son and daughter to India for education on the security grounds.
ANP’s Relationship with Establishment:
Despite the close political ties with Afghanistan, India and Russia ANP is one of the favorite political parties of Pakistani establishment. It is supporting Pakistan’s present policies on India and Afghanistan.
This party has been advocating friendly relationship with all neighbouring countries since its very inception. In the meanwhile it has strongly opposed Talibanization and ongoing extremism in Pakistan as well as in the whole region. Expected win of ANP in NWFP and FATA in 2008 elections can become a real threat for those elements who are supporting Talibanization and extremism in this sensitive belt. Such elements will never afford a party like ANP to come in power their involvement in the attacks on ANP leadership can not be ruled out. (16-2-2008)
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