Senior Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour on Saturday linked the suicide blasts in the country to the US propelled drone attacks, saying Awami National Party (ANP) lost nearly 450 activists in the war on terror. He also called upon the federal government to give significance to the Balochistan unrest and take immediate steps to solve the province long-standing problems.
He observed the Balochistan issue had its deep roots and people of the province had been deprived of their rights. He said the unrest was not immediate to hit the country rather it smouldered for the last 40 years to invite the government's attention. Talking to newsmen at Karachi Press Club, the Parliamentary leader of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa said his government had largely subdued the once soaring terrorism in his province. However, the recent bomb blasts, he attributed to the US driven drone strike in the northern tribal belt of the country, saying the aerial attacks were attracting reactions from the local people to trigger the renewed violence.
Bilour termed the US drone attacks as 'interference' in Pakistan internal issues and against the country's sovereignty. He said reactions from public were beyond control in the province against the superpowers unilateral interventions into the country's mainland.
He said US was carrying out drone strikes to eliminate its potential targets but the reaction by public causing violence and deaths of innocent people regularly. He said his party had lost 450 activists including two parliamentarians to the continued war against terror, adding that almost all of ANP leadership had came under targeted assaults.
However, he said, those attacks could not daunt the government in achieving the goals of restoring peace in the province, adding the administration had cleared all the hideouts and caves from terrorists. Bilour claimed his party had still great political appeal in the province, saying the results of all by-polls showed that the tilt of public opinion was still towards ANP for its public friendly policies.
To a question, he said, his party had no differences with its lady leader, Begum Naseem Wali Khan rather her health was getting weaker due to which ANP leadership decided to allot the senate ticket to some other potential candidate. "ANP has not denied the senate ticket to her," he added.
About the rising popularity of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, he said his fame was temporary and ANP's existence into Pakistani politics took over 60 years to perpetuate. He claimed Imran Khan's would not longer survive in the politics. Regarding resumption of the Nato supply en route through Pakistan's land to Afghanistan, he said, the parliament would decide whether or not to allow it.