SWABI: Local leaders of Awami National Party have started efforts to get the slot of party’s district president, according to insiders.

Party sources said that the slot of district president had been vacant after former district president Ameer Rehman went abroad and there were no prospects he would return to the country in the near future.

An FIR has been registered against Ameer Rehman and his bodyguard in the polling day incident in which one person was killed. Later, he secured bail before arrest from a local court and managed to go abroad.

The sources said that three prominent leaders, including Mohammad Ishfaq of Kalu Khan, Mohammad Islam of Dok and Amanullah, had been making efforts silently to get the slot.

One of the local leaders said that they had been facing problems in running the party affairs without district president. He said that it was time for the party high command to sort out the matter.

When contacted, various leaders of the party said on condition of anonymity that at present they had focused their attention on the campaign for by-election in PK-44, Swabi-II. They admitted that presently the ANP was passing through a difficult period. They said that internal rivalry remained intact even during the July 25 general elections.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2018