SWABI, April 28: The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) leaders have expressed optimism to win seats from the district in May 11 general elections.

Addressing separate election gatherings, they claimed to win some seats out of the eight provincial assembly seats in Swabi district. They said that they could not win any seat in the past mainly due to lack of homework and proper strategy, but this time now the situation had changed and both parties claimed to have done homework to grab their share in the coming election.

About benefit of electoral alliance with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Masood Jabbar, former provincial deputy general secretary of QWP, said: “Our party leadership wants to focus on a few constituencies instead of contesting from all the two National Assembly and six provincial assembly seats.”

The QWP has fielded their candidates from PK-31 Swabi-I, PK-33 Swabi-III and PK-34 Swabi IV. In the remaining constituencies the QWP would support the JUI-F candidates, said Mr Jabbar.

QWP district president Fazal Wadood expressed confidence that of the three seats they could grab two. “Once we get a foothold our next target will be to kick out the Awami National Party from the district’s politics,” he said.

PPPP divisional general secretary, Naeem Khan, claimed that they would secure at least three of the total eight provincial assembly seats in the May 11 elections.

Mr Khan, who finished runner-up in NA-13 Swabi-II in 2008 elections, said that they could turn the tables on their rivals on May 11. “We are running the campaign for the last five years, the day on which we lost 2008 election. Our struggle would bear fruit,” he said.

The QWP leaders said that they had fielded strong candidates who could make it to the victory stand this time.

Javid Inqilabi, PPPP district president, said that except PK-35 Swabi-V they had fielded candidates in all constituencies of the district. He said that the PPPP candidates for NA-13 Swabi-II and PK-33 Swabi-III were strong enough to win easily.

SHOW CAUSE NOTICE: Javid Iqilabi, district president of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians, has issued a show cause notice to party’s former district president Haji Manfat Khan here the other day, Dawn has learnt.

Mr Khan had fielded his son, Asad Khan, from NA-13 Swabi-II and his nephew Adnan Khan from PK-36 Swabi-VI as independent candidates when the PPPP leadership refused party tickets to them.

Mr Inqilabi said that the notice was issued to him (Manfat) for indulging in anti-party election campaign and supporting Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan chairman Shahram Tarakai, who was contesting election from NA-13 and PK-32, Swabi-II.

He said that they came to know that his son and nephew had withdrawn in favour of Mr Shahram. “They have been running campaign for the Tarakai family, which is harming the party position in NA-13, PK-34, PK-35, and PK-36,” said Mr Inqilabi.

Answering a question, he said that Mr Manfat was told to submit response to the notice within a week or he might face disciplinary action.