Any ANP candidate who tries to bar women from voting will be expelled from the party: Asfandyar

[Samandri]

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has urged his party workers to encourage women to vote during the local government elections.

Addressing a public rally organised on Saturday at Tehmash Khan Stadium in the provincial capital, he said any ANP candidate who tries to bar women from voting will be expelled from the party.

“I have also asked ANP K-P Chief Amir Haider Khan Hoti to investigate the low turnout of women in the by-polls in Lower Dir,” he said. “If any candidate from my party is found to be involved, he or she will no longer be a part of ANP.”

Clash of priorities

Asfandyar said he will not accept any changes to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

“It has come to our notice the original plan is being altered to include Lahore in the mega project,” he added.

The ANP leader said the project was envisaged in the previous government’s tenure.

“Lahore was initially not part of the project,” he said. “ANP will never allow anyone to change the original route.”

According to the ANP chief, the federal government is repeatedly accusing people of being traitors for opposing changes to the route. “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said those who are opposing changes to the route are enemies of development in Pakistan,” he said. “I strongly disagree with this statement and will not be threatened by allegations levelled against us.”

Asfandyar said China started this project to counter militancy and extremism in Xinxiang province.

“The federal government should contemplate similar goals for K-P and the tribal belt,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2015.

Need of the hour: Asfandyar urges ANP workers to encourage women voters - The Express Tribune

 

[That Guy]

Any party that stops any voter from voting, should be banned, as they're subverting the constitution. It is treason, and they should be treated like traitors.

 

[Secur]

Any party that stops any voter from voting, should be banned, as they're subverting the constitution. It is treason, and they should be treated like traitors.

Well its cultural since all political parties collectively sign this agreement during the elections every time to not allow the women to vote. This isn't a fault of a single worker as Asfandyar is trying to point out, pure and simple damage control this statement is. Actions speak louder than words, ANP like all other parties in the North Western province has favored illegal ban in the past. What has changed then? Nothing. Come next election and this will be repeated.

P.S. Siraj-ul-Haq was asked about this recently when reports surfaced after the recent elections, he answered that women in KPK have a lot of work to do besides coming out to vote like child rearing, hospitality e.t.c. And this man hosted one of the largest women rallies in the history of JI in Karachi earlier. See the hypocrisy?

 

[Samandri]

ANP like all other parties in the North Western province has favored illegal ban in the past.

What kind of non-sense is this 'chairman' sahab?, keep your MQM-ish sentiments in control

 

[saurav]

Seems like a sane statement.

 

[Secur]

What kind of non-sense is this 'chairman' sahab?, keep your MQM-ish sentiments in control

I don't see any mention of MQM in a problem that plagues the KPK. Read the topic at hand, explain me how all political parties in the area agree to the ban if that isn't a cultural problem? ANP has a vote bank in the area right? How was it then, that not a single woman came out to vote in the recent elections for even them?

Let me properly tell you about this nonsense.

KP govt confirms women vote blocked by political parties - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
“Yes I can confirm this agreement has taken place in Lower Dir, have reports of similar agreement from some other areas, but I am sure about Dir agreement and I had already communicated it to the Election Commission as well,” Information Minister KP Musarrat Qadeem told Dawn.com.

Earlier Friday, the PPP, ANP and JI had entered into a similar agreement in Lower Dir’s provincial assembly seat PK-94.The JI’s Muzaffar Said, PPP’s Alamzeb Khan and ANP’s Ayub Khan are the major political parties contesting for the seat.

Sources also confirmed that due to the Election Commission’s restrictions, the candidates had made the deal through their ‘local operators’ instead of coming forward themselves. “The decision was taken at village Bandagai in the Talash area of Lower Dir district. But there is no written document in this regard and we also do not know that there are such arrangements in other areas as well,” said one source.

Bar on women voters criticised - thenews.com.pk
Rights activists have strongly criticised contesting parties including Awami National Party and Jamaat-e-Islami in the PK-95 constituency by-polls in Lower Dir for barring 53,000 registered women voters from voting in the election and demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to declare the results null and void.

The constituency which has come under fire due to claims of an informal pact between both parties over blocking women from participating in the elections is home to the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, Senator Siraj-ul-Haq and his influence in the community was seen as a decisive factor in the victory of the religious party. Observers of the election had stated that the impact of these by-polls would have strong influence on the results of the local government elections to be held on May 30.

Next time, inform yourself about things you post and want to discuss with others.

 

[Kabira]

https://twitter.com/x/status/599514219466207233

Ahsan Iqbal ‏@betterpakistan Three routes of CPEC Western, Central & eastern. Western to be completed first. Hope Mr Asfandyar understands.

Seem like ANP is desperate to be relevant again. lol