PESHAWAR, Dec 13: The Awami National Party (ANP) has asked its supporters in the Malakand protective region to vote for PPPP candidate Humayun Khan in the Dec 15 by-election on NA-35, the national assembly's lone constituency from the area.

In a press statement issued here on Monday, Mian Iftikhar, information secretary of the party's NWFP chapter, asked ANP supporters to support the ANP-PPPP joint candidate, Hamayun Khan, who had resigned from the office of the Malakand District Nazim to contest the by-election to the seat which fell vacant after MNA Inayat-ur-Rehman died a few months ago.

The ANP leader said that the by-election had exposed the provincial government led by the MMA and federal government led by PML. "After failing to deliver the goods, both parties have resorted to pre-election rigging by making false promises with the people of Malakand in an attempt to deceive them in the name of development packages and funds," said Mian Iftikhar.

He said the announcements made both by the provincial and the federal government belied their earlier claims that due to scarcity of funds greater funds could not be provided for undertaking development activities in Malakand protected areas. "Today for getting votes both provincial and federal governments have found extra funds for the development," he said.