Awami National Party - Controversies

Controversies

Since its inception, the party has been accused of using the Far-left procedure to disturbed peace in stable cities of Pakistan, to forcefully pressure the government to accept its ideology and agenda. Along with MQM, the ANP is accused for renegading and instigating the violence in Karachi, Sindh Province. As part of the Pakistan National Alliance in 1970s, the ANP is accused of staging large scale violence, mass protests, demonstration, and using its military wing to tackle the Government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

On May 9, 2008, leading English newspaper, the Dawn reported that its leader and socialist Asfandyar Vali made a secret visit to United States in which he had high-level meetings with the U.S. Central Command, United States Department of State, The White House and allegedly met with Vice-President Joe Biden and John Negroponte. His trip was not announced and categorically denied by Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Department of State remained silent. While justifying the trip, an unknown source of the party quoted: "Nobody in the Pashtun areas likes open association with the Americans... At some places in the Pashtun belt, embracing an American could mean embracing death...". This has led to criticism of the party by the conservatives and pro-Russian communists for being pro-American.

In a separate incident, the Railways Minister of Pakistan Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, who is a member of the ANP, offered a $100,000 bounty for the death of the American amateur filmmaker who produced The Innocence of Muslims and insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The ANP told the BBC that "this was a personal statement, not party policy, but added that it would not be taking any action against him."