SWABI, July 26: Shaken by the ignominious defeat in recent general election, Awami National Party (ANP) is leaderless in Swabi because its district president and general secretary have already resigned and there is no one to run the party affairs in the district.

Talking to Dawn, the workers said that the gulf of differences between the party leaders and its supporters might widen if the party didn’t act on urgent basis to take control of the situation. The district office where once it was difficult to get foothold during the ANP government in the province, now remained deserted, said the sources.

Office-bearers and staunch supporters of the party in four tehsils of the district said on condition of anonymity that they were puzzled by the prevailing scenario because the ordinary workers did not know how to handle the party affairs. They said that there was no one in the district to guide the party workers ahead of the Aug 22 by-elections and the provincial leadership was responsible for the entire mess.

Haji Rehmanullah, who remained the ANP district president for last over 25 years, and district general secretary Tamraiz Khan have resigned from their party offices during the visit of provincial president Afrasiab Khattak and other provincial leaders.

The sources said that Mr Khattak and provincial general secretary Arbab Tahir had contacted Mr Rehmanullah and Mr Khan, appealing them to reconsider their decision. However, both the district leaders have refused to take back their resignations, said the sources.

When contacted, Mr Khan said that before resigning from the party office he had thought over it more than 100 times. “It was our final decision after thorough consideration and we would not take the decision back. We are the people who never indulged in drama and worked for the party with devotion,” he said.

Mr Khan said that he would continue as party worker while helping the party leadership to strengthen its position in the district. However, several other leaders have criticised the resignation by the two ANP stalwarts in the district. They questioned that when the ANP was ruling the province and they were reaping all the benefits of the party why they did not resign at that time.

They said that when they harmed the party to the core they resigned and left the leaders and workers in hot waters. The old workers said that there was time that the leadership of the party had clashed with each other for the coveted posts and now there was no one to lead it in the district.

They said that if the present situation prevailed it would further harm the party position in the district which was its stronghold till May 11 elections.

Of the 11 MNAs and MPAs elected from Swabi district in 2008 elections eight were from the ANP and now following the recent general election there was no one, making the entire picture of its position clear in the district.

The workers said that they welcomed the electoral alliance for the by-elections with Jamait Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F). “We are now relaxed and there is no burden on us to arrange meetings, run door-to-door campaign and remain in contact with the voters in our region,” said a worker.

Gul Zamin Shah, who contested election from PK-31, Swabi-I, said that they had planned that party election from the union council to provincial level would be held soon after the by-elections.

“It would be election not selection. We expect a new leadership would come forward to lead the party in very critical times,” he said.