PESHAWAR/SWABI: Four parties, sitting on the opposition benches in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, have joined hands to form district government in Swabi. The leaders of ANP, JUI-F, PML-N and PPP vowed to give tough time to the ruling PTI and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) in the district.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, ANP leader Ameer Rehman claimed that opposition parties gained majority in Swabi and they would form district government there easily.

He said that ANP won 21 seats, JUI-F got eight seats and PML-N secured three seats in the district in the local government elections. He said that two independent councillors also joined ANP and contacts with other political parties including JI and QWP would be established for the development of the district.

Speaking on the occasion, PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak said that his party extended unconditional support to the opposition parties because PTI violated all political norms and values in the local government elections in the province.

The leaders of ANP, JUI-F, PML-N and PPP vow to give tough time to ruling PTI and AJIP

“We have never seen such mismanagement, rigging, violence and vandalism in the elections,” he said. He added that the provincial government was morally bound to admit its failure and step down.

JUI-F leader Maulana Attaullah Darvesh, PML-N Swabi district president Iftikhar Khan and PPP leader Malik Jahan Akbar also spoke on the occasion and said that people rejected both PTI and AJIP in the local government elections as they failed to serve masses.

They alleged that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar and Senior Minister Shahram Tarkai violated law by spending government funds for poll rigging.

They alleged that Mr Qaisar and Mr Tarakai were offering cash and developmental schemes to the newly elected councillors for changing loyalties.

Meanwhile, 60 members will become members of district and four tehsil councils in Swabi on the seats reserved of different categories.

The local leaders of political parties said that they had already submitted the names of their candidates to Election Commission of Pakistan.

“Of the reserved seats, 39 are for women councillors and seven each for peasant workers, minorities and youth in the district and four tehsil councils,” said an official of ECP.

The total strength of the district council is 84. There are 56 general councillors, one each from a union council. Nineteen seats are reserved for women and three each for workers/peasants, youth and minorities in the district council.

Of the three workers, one of nominee of ANP is its district president Ameer Rehman, the front runner for the district nazim slot.

“Ameer is our nominee for the district nazim slot and keeping in view the majority of ANP and support of JUI-F in the district, we can say that he would be the next district nazim,” said ANP district general secretary Mohammad Islam.

Meanwhile, PTI district leadership has also finalised the name of its candidate for tehsil nazim slot in Topi.

PTI district leader Anwar Haq Dad said that Sohail Khan Yousufzai was their candidate for tehsil nazim slot. “In tehsil Topi, we have won majority of seats and Mr Sohail is poised to become tehsil nazim,” he said. He said that name of candidate for tehsil nazim of Swabi would be finalised soon.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2015

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