ANP demands KP be renamed to back 28th Amendment

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has made its support for the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment conditional, demanding that the promises made during the 27th Constitutional Amendment be honoured and that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s historical name, “Pakhtunkhwa,” be restored.

In a statement, ANP’s central spokesperson Engineer Ehsanullah Khan said that Pakistan’s constitution cannot serve the interests of any single individual, personal power or institutional supremacy.

“The purpose of constitutional amendments should be the public interest, protection of provincial rights, federal justice, and democratic stability,” the spokesperson said.

He said that the ANP will support the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment only if the promises made during the 27th Constitutional Aamendment are fully implemented.

He stressed that all constitutional safeguards regarding the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the NFC Award, provincial autonomy, and provincial rights must remain intact without any changes.

The ANP spokesperson said the party would not compromise on provincial rights. He demanded that the proposed 28th amendment provide constitutional relief for provinces generating hydel power, and that no federal tax, surcharge, or additional cost should be imposed on electricity usage in these provinces.

He further proposed that in such provinces, the price of electricity for domestic consumers be set at Rs10 per unit for up to 500 units.

Ehsanullah Khan also called for the proposed 28th amendment to safeguard tobacco farmers and their provincial revenue rights.

He urged that all taxes on tobacco growers be immediately abolished, and that all taxes collected from the purchase of raw tobacco by industries be given to the province where the tobacco is produced.

He said that the proposed 28th amendment should provide a constitutional guarantee for the permanent establishment of local governments, ensure regular local body elections across the country every four years as per Article 140A, and guarantee that no administrative authority can suspend, dissolve, or replace these institutions.

Abobakar Khan