QUETTA: Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Thursday said that Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai was the leader who laid the foundation of politics in the region while struggling against colonial rule and after creation of Pakistan he presented the concept of establishing the province of Pashtoonistan.

Speaking at a public meeting on the eve of 48th death anniversary of Khan Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai at the Railway Hockey ground, he rejected a perception that by using the word Pashtunkhwa they want bifurcation of real Balo­chistan. “We do not want division of real Balochistan.”

He said that Abdul Samad Khan Shaheed had added the word Pashtunkhwa to the name of his party after developing differences with the National Awami Party before the 1970 elections.

Mr Achakzai said Abdul Samad Khan’s entire struggle was for upholding human and Islamic values, respect for all nationalities and a society where the rights of everyone are protected on the basis of equality.

“We are making efforts to hold a congress in January for the party’s elections in which everyone will have a right to take part,” he said.

He said that over the past 40 years Russia and America had been defeated in Afghanistan and now it was “our responsibility to protect the solidarity of that country”.

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2021