PESHAWAR: Arsalan Khan Nazim, the spokesperson for the Awami National Party (ANP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stated that the provincial government’s announcement of a “strike without a pen” is a mockery of the people in the province. He criticised this move as a failed attempt to distract the public from pressing issues through theatrics.
Nazim emphasised that the provincial government is resorting to superficial measures to mask its incompetence and failures. He noted that such low-level tactics do not address the problems; instead, they create additional challenges for the people. In response to the government’s announcement of a strike without a pen on May 6, Nazim asserted that while the ANP believes the federal government is being unjust to the province, an effective constitutional and political struggle must be mounted, rather than paralysing government operations and disrupting public services.
He pointed out that issues like the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, electricity, and gas are serious matters that demand a serious, strategic, and consistent approach.
Nazim reminded that the ANP not only passed the 18th constitutional amendment with just 13 members but also successfully initiated the new NFC award. He questioned whether the province received its rights when they were in power at the centre.
He criticised the provincial government for shirking its constitutional responsibilities and failing to provide relief to the people, maintain law and order, and improve governance. Instead, he said, the government seems to be pursuing actions that serve only to score political points.
He further stated that both the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Muslim League within the federation share a similar approach in undermining the rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Awami National Party has consistently taken a serious and principled stance for the province’s rights and will support any actions that benefit the province, as long as they adhere to constitutional and democratic principles. However, he stressed that demonstrative protests and reckless decisions do not resolve issues; they only exacerbate them.
