SWABI: Activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf who plan to contest elections for the party’s district president slot have started contacting party leaders and workers to get maximum support.

They said that though the membership drive had been extended to April 29 from March 29, getting support of leaders of different regions in the initial stage would be crucial in winning the seat.

“It is a distinct feature of Pakhtun society that once a leader or worker pledges something he sticks to it in all circumstances,” said Shah Wali, one of the likely candidates for the party president slot.

A source said that Biland Iqbal, ShahramTarakai’s uncle who lost election of his native union council in the local government elections, would also contest the elections for the district president’s position.

Some insiders said Mr Shahram’s family might support Anwar Haqdad, who was one of the old PTI leaders in the district.

Asad Qaisar, Speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, could also play a key role in the elections. Sources said that Mr Qaisar would like to see a man of his choice on the district president seat so he would face no trouble in his home district during the next general elections.

Other prospective candidates for the district top slot include Fida Hussain, former district president Rangaiz Khan, Abdul Sattar, Mohammad Khitab and Mohammad Zubair.

HOUSE BURGLED: The house of another local journalist was burgled by unidentified robbers when they broke the locks at night and took away all the valuables.

The incident occurred in the limits of Tordher police station. Earlier, the house of Atiqur Rehman, another journalist, was looted at gunpoint.

Maqsood Ali Niazi, whose house was looted in Tordher village, said that he had gone to Murree and his wife and children were staying with their relatives at Kunda village for a night. “There was no one in the house at the time of incident,” he told this correspondent by phone.

Mr Niazi said that an FIR had been registered in Tordher police station against unidentified robbers. He said that the robbers had taken away Rs173,000 cash, three tola gold jewellery and some other valuables.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2016