PESHAWAR: Senior Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Thursday strongly criticised the country’s political and economic situation, while announcing that he has decided to leave Peshawar due to prevailing circumstances.
Addressing a news conference in Peshawar, Bilour said unemployment has increased across the country, and it has become extremely difficult for the poor to survive. He admitted that governments, including his own, have failed to resolve public problems and stabilise the country’s economy.
Bilour said he had been elected as a member of the National Assembly five times, adding that had certain forces not blocked his political path, he would have continued to be elected. He termed it the nation’s misfortune that Pakistan has lagged far behind economically and politically, stating that inflation and terrorism could not be brought under control.
He alleged that Pakistan has been weakened due to interference by the establishment and said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been destroyed by terrorism, while Pashtuns continue to lose their lives across the country. He also accused authorities of looting the province.
Commenting on recent statements regarding the 18th Constitutional Amendment, Bilour said that calling the amendment “nonsense” was unacceptable. He questioned that if the 18th Amendment was considered meaningless, then what status should be given to the Pakistan Resolution? He stressed that the sum of all four provinces makes Pakistan, and their rights must be protected.
Bilour urged all political parties to sit together and find solutions to the country’s problems, stating that if politicians are allowed to run the country, it would bring positive change. He added that Pakistan must at least become economically strong enough to stand alongside India.
Reflecting on his political journey, Bilour said he had both won and lost elections multiple times and had contested the most recent election at the age of 86, hoping the establishment would acknowledge his lifelong struggle.
“I ask myself what I should do in Peshawar now,” he remarked, adding that although he never wanted to leave the city, he is being forced to do so due to unavoidable circumstances.
