'Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber' may be the new name

The "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber" is likely to be announced shortly as the new name of NWFP, reliable sources told Business Recorder on Saturday. Two names - "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber" and "Pukhtoonkhawa-Abaseen" came under discussion at a meeting between ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali and PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali in Islamabad on Thursday. Both the members have agreed on these names, the sources said.
On the other hand, the PML-N came up with proposed two new names - "Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa" and "Khyber-Afghania" in the meeting of its provincial Organising Committee, which was held Tuesday last at Punjab House. The sources said the committee supported "Khyber-Afghania," but some members showed reservations on "Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa".
Similarly, the party sources said the ANP on the same day held meeting and also recommended "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber." The recommendation was later handed over to the PML-N. The ANP fully agreed to "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber" and now it was waiting for the PML(N) response.
The sources said members of both parties were likely to develop consensus on "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber" or "Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa". But now both parties have differences over the order of the two-word proposed names of the province.
The ANP wants Pukhtoonkhwa first against PML-N's Khyber. But it is more likely that "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber" may finally be recommended by both the parties. The sources said a behind-the-scene dialogue between PML-N and ANP is under way and it is hoped that these parties would reaching consensus within two days. For this purpose, the sources said, Nawaz Sharif had given the task to Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and MNA Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan of NWFP.
The sources said that Sardar Mehtab had shown strong reservations on various names, including Pukhtoonkhwa and Pukhtoonistan, proposed by the ANP. When contacted ANP leader Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour confirmed that Asfandyar Wali Khan and Chaudhry Nisar Ali had discussed "Pukhtoonkhwa-Khyber" and "Pukhtoonkhwa-Abaseen". He said that although the ANP parliamentarians had shown resentment, Asfandyar Wali agreed on these two names in the "larger interest of the country." He said Chaudhry Nisar had presented these names in the meeting.
Similarly, when contacted, senior PML-N leader from NWFP, Iqbal Zafar Jahgra said that his party had considered "Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa" and "Khyber-Afghania" in Tuesday's meeting. He insisted that the party members belonging to NWFP would never accept Pukhtoonkahwa or Pukhtoonistan. He said the new name of the province should not be proposed on ethnic basis.
"We should propose such a name which must help in uniting the people of NWFP," he said. He said the ANP should not link the renaming of the NWFP with the passage of the Constitutional Package. He accused the ANP of blackmailing by linking its demand to its signing on the draft of 18th amendment bill.
When contacted, Sardar Mohammad Mushtaq, PML-N MNA from Haripur said that in Tuesday's meeting of Organising Committee, the members had also supported "Khyber-Afghania". But the final decision would be taken by the top leadership of the PML-N. According to him, this issue would be resolved amicably before 31 March.