F.P. Report
QUETTA: The country has been trapped in a vicious circle for the last 75 years. Now is the time for only the truth to break that cycle, and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is the sole solution, as stated by Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Chairman of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.
He made this declaration while addressing a massive public gathering at Ayub Stadium in Quetta, paying tribute to Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, affectionately known as Khan Shaheed, on his 50th martyrdom anniversary.
Setting aside political differences, Achakzai urged that revenge and Imran Khan’s hatred should not blind the nation to compromise on democracy. Traditional elections alone cannot overcome the accumulated problems; instead, a stakeholder conference should precede elections.
Achakzai emphasized the need for a three-day deliberation to evolve a democratic path leading to democracy. In this context, he appealed to all, especially Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal, and Maulana, to rise to the occasion and play their role in achieving civilian supremacy, steering the country out of its present uncertainty and quagmire.
Achakzai reminded everyone that, to him, elections and democracy are not just paths to the assembly and power corridors but a way of life and creed, for which his leader and father made sacrifices, spending half of his life behind bars. Khan Abdul Samad Khan’s political creed was anti-imperialism and democracy.
Achakzai advocated for the establishment of a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ to determine responsibilities for the failure of democracy in the country. He suggested that judges of the supreme judiciary who legitimized martial laws and deviated from the constitution should be named and reprimanded, while those who stood by the constitution should be acknowledged.
Furthermore, Achakzai called for the acceptance of the demands of the Chaman protesters and warned against the escalating violation of human rights. He emphasized the immediate presentation of anyone involved in wrongdoing in a court of law, discouraging forced disappearances. Additionally, he urged the Afghanistan government to promptly convene a grand jirga, forming an all-inclusive government and addressing looming threats.
In a related statement, Abdurahim Ziaratwal asserted that Pakhtunkhwa National Awami Party is the mother party of PMAP, registered in the names of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai and later Mahmood Khan Achakzai. He emphasized that no one would be allowed to usurp it.
The event also featured addresses by Nawab Ayaz Khan Abdurauf Lala, Talimand Khan, Dr Mohammad Ali, Mir Kalam Wazir, Amjad Tareen, Haroon Advocate, and Sharraf Agha.
