The NWFP chapter of the Pukhoon Milli Awami Party (PMAP) on Monday asked the transporters, traders and businessmen of the province to fully participate in the wheel-jam strike call, given by the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM) for March 31. PMAP Provincial President Mukhtar Yousafzai made the call during a press conference flanked by Dr Said Alam Masood and former senator Bashir Khan Matta.
He said: "We would fully support this nation-wide general strike and contacting traders, transporters and segments of the Pukhtoon society to participate in the strike and express solidarity with their Baloch brethren."
Mukhtar Yousafzai said the NWFP would play important role in the success of that strike and party leader Mahmood Achakzai himself would be present in the province to supervise it in the Pukhtoonkwa.
He urged on all Pukhtoons having political affiliations with any political party to join hands with the PONM and reject the anti-Pukhtoon policies of President General Pervez Musharraf.
Yousafzai said for that purpose, the PMAP had contacted various political parties in the NWFP for seeking their support for the scheduled strike to show resentment against the construction of Kalabagh Dam and military operation in Balochistan.
"Every nation in Pakistan had been deprived of their rights while military rulers were using force against them to keep them oppressed forever. Deprivation of Balochs resulted the present situation in Balochistan for which the rulers are responsible," he said adding they wanted to create the same situation in NWFP by announcing Kalabagh Dam.
Mukhtar said Pakistan had become a Punjabi state while all other nations, Balochs, Pukhtoons, Saraikis and Sindhis had no rights on their resource, however, Islamabad based rulers were insisting to construct controversial projects for the sake of Punjab.
"Gwadar port will turn Balochs' majority into minority, Kalabagh will sink Pukhtoons and Thal Canal will favour army men instead of common people" he observed, saying "none of these projects to help local people but will facilitate military junta."
He said the country was passing through a very difficult situation and the economic situation was deteriorating every day that had made things difficult for the poor men.
He said the PONM would show their full dislike against the 'anti-masses' policies of the government on March 31 for which the PONM would need support of the masses to reject those polices.