Awami National Party accuses Imran Khan of colluding with Taliban

PESHAWAR: Hitting out at Imran Khan, the Awami National Party today claimed that slain Taliban chief Hakeemullah Mehsud had used his clout to facilitate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party's victory in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in last year's general elections.

"My mandate has not been stolen by Nawaz Sharif in the KP but it was Imran Khan who with the connivance of late Taliban leader Hakeemullah Mehsud stole the mandate," ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan said at a party workers convention here.

"I will neither let Imran Khan to become political martyr nor leave him to flee," Wali Khan said, "as he is in the run for 'Takht-e-Lahore' and 'Takht-e-Islamabad'."

He further said Pashtuns were suffering due to Imran's political immaturity and container politics, referring to his operating out to containers during his anti-government protests.

Imran had alleged "massive rigging" in last year's general elections, which saw Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) win by a landslide.

Smelling an insidious plan behind the protests launched by Imran and Qadri, he said both started container politics at a time when operation was launched in North Waziristan Agency.

He vowed that ANP would not allow tampering with the 18th amendment as it would tantamount to conspiracy against the state. The 18th amendment provided autonomy to the provinces over using their indigenous natural resources.

He accused Imran of betraying the masses of the province and added that PTI supported the construction of dam at Kalabagh in its manifesto. The ANP would never accept 'Naya Pukthunkhwa' wherein displaced people were caned and teargas shells were fired at them, he said.