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ANP makes history as Hoti sworn in as NWFP CM

* Begum Nasim Wali says Muslim Leaguers ‘must be upset’
* Humayun Saifullah Khan warns of ‘a real wrestling’

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: The 19th-century Governor’s House building here echoed with pro-Bacha Khan slogans for the first time in history as Awami National Party’s (ANP) Ameer Haider Hoti was sworn in as the 25th chief minister of the NWFP on Tuesday.

A record 1,400 guests attended the ceremony, including the new chief minister’s father Azam Hoti, ANP President Asfandyar Wali, and veteran party leader Begum Nasim Wali, wife of Abdul Wali Khan.

Hoti, 37, is the youngest ever chief minister of the province. The nationalist party has always advocated close ties with India and Afghanistan, and often dubbed “unpatriotic” by the establishment and opponents.

‘Leaguers upset’: “It is a historic day,” a party leader said while greeting other guests. “We have waited for so long for our own chief minister.”

Begum Nasim Wali said the scenes must have pained “some people”, especially old Muslim Leaguers. The Muslim League and the ANP (formerly National Awami Party) were political rivals in the province before the 1970s, and the PML never hid its anger at the party’s close ties with Kabul and New Delhi.

‘A real wrestling’: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Humayun Saifullah Khan attended the ceremony, but showed no visible signs of anxiety. “There will be a real dangal (wresting) now,” he was heard saying.

All eyes are now on Ameer Haider Hoti, who hails from a political family but who critics say is too young to deal with the province’s problems.

Security at the Governor’s House was so tight that minister-designate Aqil Shah had to ask the governor to tell his guards to allow Shah to meet him. The heightened security, analysts say, reflected the province-wide security situation. If Hoti does not tackle the problem, he may have to go, they say.

“It is not sectarian conflict that you see in Hangu or Parachinar. It is not a simple law and order issue. It is beyond that,” a security official said.

The new chief minister has repeatedly said that his government would negotiate with the local militants who were willing to lay down arms. He told the NWFP Assembly after being elected unopposed that the use of force would be his government’s last option against the militants.

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