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| India-Pakistan |
| ANP's mandate snatched through terrorism, says Asfandyar |
| 2013-05-17 |
| [Dawn] Awami National Party (ANP) Chief Asfandyar Wali Thursday accepted the election results and said his party was defeated in the May 11 polls because its mandate was snatched through terrorist activities. He said the party has decided to sit on opposition benches both in National and provincial assemblies. Addressing a presser, Asfandyar Wali Khan said that the decision to sit on the opposition benches had been taken by the party's central working committee. A meeting in this regard was held in Islamabad earlier on Thursday. The ANP chief said the party would make efforts to regain its mandate, which had been snatched through terrorist activities. The ANP workers and leaders were restricted to their homes and not allowed to freely participate in the election campaign, he added. Asfandyar said that a party could not perform in such a situation when it was not provided with a level playing field. The outlawed Pak Taliban had targeted the ANP, along with Pakistain People's Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... , in the run up to the recently held elections for having secular views. Election rallies of few other political parties also came under attack by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) myrmidons. "We thought CEC Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim would adjudicate the electoral contest....but the real referee was Hakimullah Mehsud," the ANP chief said in disgust. |
| Posted by:Fred |