MARDAN: Awami National Party provincial president Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has condemned the arrest and baton-charge of Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf activists by the Islamabad police during a crackdown against PTI leaders and workers.

Addressing ANP workers in Sherabad area here on Friday, he said it was constitutional right of all political parties to hold peaceful protest demonstrations inanypartofthecountry.

On the occasion, political personalities of the area, including Amanizer, Arshid Khan and Umar Khan along with their family members and friends announced to join the ANP.Mr Hoti asked the government of Pakistan Muslim League-N to avoid creating hurdles in the way of holding peaceful protest demonstrations or sitins by PTI. He also urged the PTI leadership to avoid lockdown of Islamabad as it would cause great inconvenience to the general public, specially children, patients, women and elderly.

He alleged that both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PTI chief Imran Khan were not sincere with Pakhtuns as they had taken no steps for their betterment.

`PM Sharif is not fulfilling his promise to first complete the western route of China-Pakist an E conomic Corridor,he alleged. He said ANP would not accept development and prosperity of Punjab at the cost of Pakhtuns.

Mr Hoti also criticised Imran Khan for holding protests and rallies to `conquer` Punjab rather than for the rights of Khyber Palchtunkhwa people.

He said people of KP mandated PTI to resolve their problems and bring change in their lives, but Imran Khan had focused on Punjab only.

He said KP was in financial, political and administrative crises owing to bad governance.

He claimed the PTI provincial government had no funds to pay salaries of its employees.Correspondent