SWABI: The Awami National Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have high stakes in the re-polling scheduled to be held at 17 polling stations in nine union councils on July 30 (Thursday) to strengthen their respective position in the district and tehsil councils, according to activists of the two political parties.

They said that ANP had 22 seats and PTI 10 in the district council so far as a result of the May 30 local government elections. Though ANP is well ahead of PTI the latter wants to win more seats where it could be in a position to form a coalition government and block the way of the former. There are total 56 union councils in the district.

Re-election would be held here at 15 polling stations for women and two for men in nine union councils, including Naranji, Yaqubi, Sodher, Tandkohi, Saleem Khan, Shiekh Jana, Bachai, Gabasni and Dobian.

PTI’s former district president Anwar Haqdad and incumbent president Rangaiz Khan told mediapersons that the result of the nine union councils was important for them and if they succeeded to get a little push they could lure the other parties to form a coalition government.

Re-election at 15 polling stations set for July 30

Mr Rangaiz claimed that the small parties were looking towards PTI to come forward and establish a coalition government in the district, but till re-polling they could not say anything.

However, Ameer Rehman, district president of ANP, told Dawn that they expected that their lead in both the district council and tehsil councils would further increase following the re-polling. They could emerge victorious from four union councils and in Saleem Khan UC there is a difference of seven votes between the independent candidate Hassan Zada and ANP candidate Usman Sher, contesting election for tehsil council.

Mohammad Islam, district general secretary of the party, claimed that they had increased the number of their voters during their campaign.

Meanwhile, candidates of various other political parties and independents have also accelerated their campaign and unlike the May 30 local government elections they now have to cover only one or two polling stations.

MISSING CHILDREN: No clue could be found to the three young brothers and their cousin who went missing mysteriously from the Indus River mountainous area on Thursday. However, majority of the people and security personnel at the Tarbela Dam area believed that they might have drowned in the river.

When contacted, father of the children, Shah Zaman, said that he had not got any clue about his missing children.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2015

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