19 December 2004	Sunday	06 Ziqa'ad 1425

PESHAWAR, Dec 18: The Awami National Party (ANP), NWFP, has allowed its district organizations to forge alliances with any political force for the local bodies elections.

The decision was taken by the working committee of the party's NWFP chapter, in a meeting presided over by provincial ANP chief Nasim Wali Khan, on Saturday.

"The working party after holding discussion on the issue asked the district-level organizations to start preparations for the ensuing local bodies elections and allowed them enter into alliances with any of the political forces in this regard," Nasim Wali said at a press conference at the Bacha Khan Markaz.

She said the district organizations of the party had been directed to launch mass contact campaigns and enter into alliances on seat-adjustment basis with other parties.

She said there would be no restrictions on forging of election-specific alliances.

"Local bodies elections are more important than the provincial and national assemblies elections following the introduction of the devolution of power plan," she said.

She said the committee had also decided to begin preparations for general elections.

"There are indications that general elections may be held in 2005, therefore the party decided to step up its efforts to get ready for them if the government decides to hold those in the next year," she said.

The committee, she said, decided to hold public meetings at the district level across the province to commemorate the death anniversary of Pukhtun nationalist leader Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan. The first meeting would be held in the provincial capital on Jan 20, the death anniversary of Ghafar Khan, she said.

Replying to a question, she said her party would not join the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy and an understanding had been reached between the ANP and ARD leader Amin Fahim in this regard.

"We have told them that we would formally join them in any grand alliance that may come in place in future," she said. The party, she said, had softened its stand about extending unconditional cooperation to the alliance "but we will not join the ARD".