SWABI, Sept 7: Three political parties parted ways with the nine-party Swabi Jamhoori Ittehad (SJI), on Wednesday.

The alliance had comprised PPP-P, PML (Q), JUI (F), Azad Group of nazims, JI, JUI (S), Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, PPP (S) and Swabi Qaumi Mahaz. The parties left the alliance were PPP (Sherpao), Pakistan Tehrik-i- Insaf and Swabi Qaumi Mahaz.

The cracks appeared in the SJI when it failed in six consecutive meetings to nominate its candidates for the posts of nazims of the district, Swabi tehsil and Chota Lahore tehsil councils.

Sources said that nominee for the district nazim slot was finalized four days back but there were rivalry over the Swabi tehsil council and tehsil Chota Lahore council nazim slot. They had agreed that Wailayat Khan the brother of Liaqat Khan was their consensus candidate for the district nazim slot.

However, according to some insiders the issue was not difficult to sort out that both the JUI (F) Najeem Khan and the PPP(S) Fazal Wadood Khan were eyeing on the Tehsil Swabi nazim slot.

The deadlock over Swabi tehsil nazim seat continued for the last four days. Both Mr Najeem and Mr Fazal were sticking with their guns and at the end some of the alliance partners were agreed to award ticket for this slot to Mr Najeem. The meeting was continued till midnight to break the deadlock while requesting Mr Wadood to remain in alliance but he turned down the appeal and disassociated his party from the SJI.

The PTI district president Asad Qaisar declared in a press conference that he had formed the Swabi Roshankhayal Group (SRG). “Our group would enter in an alliance with the like-minded groups but the SJI leaders believe on winning the district nazim election on financial prowess”. Although the PPP is still part of the SJI but its leaders Abdul Hafeez Khan and Abdullah Khan were present in the press conference and they supported Mr Asad.

Mr Asad claimed that some other parties would leave the SJI and they are expected to join the SRG very soon. “Our goodbye to the SJI would have an effect”, he claimed.

A prominent leader of the SQM, Naeem Khan said: “We are no longer a part of the SJI. We would hold talks with the ANP on Thursday. I want to make one thing clear that we are not much interested but let the negotiating teams of the two parties decide”.

The ANP central leader Azam Hoti had visited Dr Mohammad Saleem MPA residence and held talks with him about merging of the SQM in the ANP. Mr Naeem said the committee members of the two parties would sit across the table and they were authorized to make the final decision.