CHARSADDA: Awami National Party central president Aimal Wali Khan on Friday reiterated opposition to military operations and demanded the immediate return of displaced people to their homes.

“Terrorism can’t be eliminated through military operations alone,” Mr Aimal told a function held here to mark death anniversaries of Khudai Khidmatgar Movement founder Bacha Khan and Wali Khan here.

Thousands of ANP workers and supporters attended the event.

ANP senior vice president and former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain, district president Shakeel Bashir Khan Umarzai and other leaders also addressed the gathering.

ANP leader calls for return of displaced people to their homes

Mr Aimal said Pakhtuns in Khyber tribal district, especially Tirah Valley, were helpless. He demanded action against those who labeled terrorism as “jihad” as well as strict punishment for facilitators of terrorists.

He accused former army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, former ISI chief retired Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed, former president Arif Alvi and PTI founder Imran Khan of bringing terrorists back to the country. He said his party wanted restoration of peace in the province.

The ANP leader opposed the federal government’s move tojoin the Gaza Board of Peace and said national issues should be addressed on priority.

He said the Palestine issue should be resolved according to the will of the Palestinian people.

Mr Aimal said trade with India continued but the border with Afghanistan had been closed to the misery of Pakhtuns.

He insisted that border closure had failed to check terrorism. He demanded the immediate reopening of all trade routes with Afghanistan.

Declaring the Feb 8, 2024, general elections controversial, the ANP leader said electoral rigging defeated his party.

He said despite bringing in a parliament of its own choice, powers-that-be were unable to take decisions.

“A few individuals continue to control everything in the country,” he said.

Mr Aimal said the time was not far when people would become the true centre of power in the country.

He said that the ANP would oppose and resist every step taken to weaken democracy.

The ANP leader said if 18-year-olds could obtain ID cards and driving licences andpay tax, they should be given the right to vote in general elections.

He said the Pakhtuns had contributed the most to national development and that their development was directly linked to a stable, prosperous Pakistan.

Mr Aimal demanded elimination of terrorism from Pakhtun areas and the provision of education and employment opportunities to residents.

He said that in future, voting for ANP wasn’t enough and instead, the party workers should protect votes polled as well.

Earlier, Mr Aimal told Dawn that bringing undocumented Afghan citizens to Pakistan was a wrong decision.

“First, our state declared Afghan nationals in the country refugees but later, they’re called mujahideen, students and then Taliban. Now. they’re terrorists in our state’s eyes,” he said.

The ANP leader rejected the forced repatriation of Afghans from the country as a “wrong” move.

He said Pakistan suffered losses in proxy wars; those brought in were celebrated, and billions of dollars were earned in their name, but today, it was paying the price for those flawed policies.

On Afghanistan and regional affairs, Mr Aimal said Pak-Afghan relations were deteriorating, while Afghanistan’s ties with India were improving, which was an alarming development for Pakistan.

“This is essentially a conflict among major global powers. On one side is the US and Israel, while Russia and China are on the other. Pakistan and Iran are being turned into battlefields,” he said.

Criticising the PTI government over “wrong” policies and lack of focus, the ANP leader said the chief minister wasn’t bothered about province’s issues and had failed to resolve people’s problems.

He said the chief minister was only concerned about his position and the detention of PTI founder Imran Khan’s release from jail.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2026