PESHAWAR:President Awami National Party (ANP) Bhana Mari Ward, Sohail Khan has stressed upon the party leadership to maintain its decades-old legacy of rewarding diehard workers on different posts instead of facilitating those who come through the use of parachutes.
In a joint press statement issued here on Tuesday, Sohail Khan and other office bearers including GS Shahid Khan, SVP Allauddin and VP Atif Khan said if ANP leadership wanted to save the party from fragmentation, it has to maintain its policy of according preference to stalwarts and old associates who spent their whole lives for the cause of the party and its leadership.
They said the step-motherly treatment of ANP leadership with its old and diehard worker Adnan Jalil is a test case and is not acceptable to party workers.
They also mentioned the example of Haji Sher Rehman who after being ignored by the party leadership in elections for Mayor of Peshawar, parted ways silently and joined PML(N).
Sohail Khan said Adnan Jalil’s family is associated with ANP for the last around one century and his elders including his father, Haji Muhammad Adeel has rendered matchless services for the cause of the party.
They said the replacement of Adnan Jalil from the post of Provincial Minister with a person who does not have any association with ANP, is not acceptable to party workers who will register their strong reaction and resentment over the decision.
Such practices are detrimental to the party and can breach the trust of the diehard workers who spent their lives for the cause of the party and its leadership, they added.
They also asked ANP leadership that for how long such persons who are nominated for the slot of the provincial minister have joined the party.
They also demanded of Samar Bilour to give preference to those party workers who are associated with it for decades and are ready for any kind of service or sacrifice.
Such decisions are sending a negative message to party workers that those who are committed, diehard and stalwart have no space in the party or respect in front of leadership.
Only those who are filthy rich and can spend millions in the name of party funds can get the attention of leadership, they alleged.
If this approach continued in the party, in the upcoming general elections they will not be able to find a polling agent not the talk about voters, they warned.