Central President of National Awami National Party (ANP) Asfandyar Wali Khan said on Monday that the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and ANP had agreed on power-sharing formula in the future government of the province.
Briefing media after chairing a meeting of the party's advisory committee on the formation of government in NWFP at Bacha Khan Markaz, he said that both the parties would form separate committees to finalise the power-sharing formula in the province.
He said that the ANP advisory committee had upheld the decisions made during his meetings with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for formation of government at both Federal and provincial levels in the country.
He said that the meeting had decided that both parties would move forward in alliance and would resolve matters regarding formation of government both at the Federal and provincial levels.
He said that as per democratic traditions the ANP had emerged as majority party in the provincial assembly so the chief minister would be from his party in the province.
"In the centre, the ANP would blindly support the PPP, while the later would support the former," said Asfandyar Wali, adding that details would be made after another meeting with Asif Ali Zardari. He said that both parties would constitute separate committees to finalise the power-sharing formula in the provincial government.
Talking about the consensus reached between the two parties, he said that the most important problem of the province was lawlessness. "In the prevailing lawlessness we are agreed on waging a war for very self-existence and both the parties are clear on the issue," he added.
"Our priority," he said, "is the restoration of peace and provision of protection and removal of the sense of insecurity from the both on which both the parties are sharing the same stand," he said. Furthermore, he said he wanted inclusion of all stakeholders in the peace process and would even go for empowering the negotiators to decide the issue through table talks.
He said that during the last 60 years of the independence of the country, no one had given political rights to the people of Federally Administered Tribal Area (Fata). The next setup would give them the rights of the citizens of the independent state.
He said that that they had also agreed on the provincial autonomy in terms of both political and financial reforms to help mitigate the sufferings. The second important point of the provincial autonomy was to give identification to the people of this part of the country. "We are required to rename the province and the PPP had assured unconditional support to us, he said.
This autonomy would not be merely political, but would also be clubbed with fiscal autonomy and take steps ahead of the abolition of the con-current list of the Constitution.
The supports in these heads would enable us to get power of utilising the resources of the province, saying none of the problem would be resolved in the prevailing budget and resources.
On the third important issue of independence of judiciary, both the parties had clear stand that it would be taken to the parliament for the resolution. "Every person had different views. However, we are determined that the matter would be resolved through parliament," added the ANP chief.
Regarding announcement of the parliamentary leader in NWFP assembly, he said that the party had its own procedure and would be decided by the parliamentary party itself sans interference from the party. In response to another query regarding peace negotiations with local Taliban, he said that "when we are ready to hold talks with Monmohan Singh, then why cannot with our local Taliban."