Dr Qadir Magsi and Mehmood Khan Achakzai say good bye to the APDM and the proposed Long March?

Vocal APDM parties going their own way

Sunday, February 08, 2009
By Mumtaz Alvi

ISLAMABAD: The Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, which is supporting the reinstatement of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other sacked judges, will most likely not become a part of the planned long march, The News learnt here on Saturday.

Insiders in the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) and the PkMAP said that though no formal decision had been taken, the nationalist party would be staying away from the lawyers’ call for a long march on Islamabad on March 12.

Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who is the Convener of the movement, was not available for comments, but sources in the party said that they would have a meeting of their central leadership shortly on the issue, but apparently the PkMAP was not going to participate in the long march at this critical juncture when Pakistan was facing grave security issues, growing insurgency and poor economic situation.

“We strongly believe in democracy and continuation of a political system, no matter how serious flaws it may have. Therefore, further political instability on the national scene will be suicidal,” these sources noted.

They added political instability could lead to wrapping up of the present political disspensation. The PkMAP’s likely decision would virtually bury the APDM, which was formed with a great media projection in the mid of 2007 in London. It has faced serious divisions following the key component party, the PML-N’s, decision to take part in the general election last year, leaving the of the parties high and dry. The ANP had also taken part in the elections as well as the JUI-F.

A new APDM was formed in November 2007, throwing out the PML-N, the PML-F and the ANP. Mehmood Khan Achakzai was made its convener in place of Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq.

Dr Qadir Magsi of the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party (STP) said goodbye to the APDM last week, after another key component i.e. the Jamaat-e-Islami without taking the movement into confidence, announced to be a part of the planned long march.

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=161381