SWABI: Biland Iqbal, central general secretary of Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) and uncle of provincial senior minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, has been nominated by his party as its candidate for the district nazim slot. However, the alliance partners – Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf – have expressed anger over the decision, saying the AJIP should have at least waited for the district council elections.

Talking to Dawn, a senior AJIP leader answered in affirmative that Mr Iqbal was their candidate for the district nazim slot and it had been decided by the party leadership. “I could predict right now that he (Iqbal) would be the district nazim,” he said.

When contacted, Mr Iqbal also confirmed that he would contest the district nazim election according to the party decision. Earlier, he had been elected twice from Tarakai union council as nazim.

None of the other coalition partners here in the district has named their candidate for the district nazim position. The Tarakai House leaders had plunged into the political field in 2005 when Shahram Tarakai was elected as the youngest district nazim, defeating ANP candidate Amanullah. At present the Tarakai family has one each senior minister, MNA, senator and MPA.

The local PTI leaders said that it was not a wise decision on the part of AJIP because the three partners – AJIP, JI and PTI – should sit and decide about the district nazim candidate after the election.

JI district general secretary Saeed Zada said that AJIP should have waited for the elections and their results, as only then the alliance partners would be able to decide about suitable candidates for the slots of district nazim, four tehsil nazims and naib nazims.

POWER OUTAGES: Traders said here the other day that they should not be forced to stage a protest demonstration against the prolonged and unscheduled loadshedding by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco).

In a meeting, they asked the Pesco to announce a schedule for loadshedding so that they could adjust accordingly and avoid business losses.

Mohammad Ali, district president of Anjuman-i-Dokandaran, said that smooth power supply was essential to the success of business. “We are peaceful people and it is our desire that the power loadshedding issue is resolved peacefully,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2015

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