PESHAWAR, Aug 19: The Awami National Party-backed Watan Dost group has secured major gains in the first phase of the local government elections in Peshawar city district followed by the Jamaat-i-Islami’s Al-Khidmat group and the People’s Party Parliamentarians’ Awam Dost group.

The ANP, which suffered its worst defeat in the last general elections at the hands of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal in Peshawar, grabbed the highest number of seats in the polls.

Unofficial results suggested that the ANP-backed Watan Dost group had grabbed 28 seats of nazims in the total 92 union councils of the city district.

Candidates supported by the Al-Khidmat group won 22 union council seats while the PPP-supported group clinched 20 seats.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F backed Muttahida group obtained six UC seats. In addition, 12 independent candidates won UC seats in the district.

The JUI-F performance was disappointing in the polls as compared to the 2002 general elections in which it had won two out of four National Assembly seats in Peshawar district.

Groups backed by the Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao) and PML-Q have managed to secure only four UC seats between them, according to unofficial results. The PML-N-backed group meanwhile has picked up a lone UC seat.

However, the three major electoral groups backed by the ANP, JI and PPP are making conflicting claims about their showing in the poll.

Sources said that the three major groups had started negotiations with each other over possible electoral alliances in a bid to grab the coveted posts of city district nazim, naib nazim and other posts in the four town councils.

The ANP- and PPP-backed panels ruled the roost in urban areas but in semi-urban and rural areas of the district the Al-Khidmat group secured more seats.

The head of the ANP city district, Ghulam Mustafa, claimed that the Watan Dost group had secured about 35 union council seats and several like-minded independent candidates had also succeeded at various UCs.

“Despite massive rigging, bogus voting and interference by the provincial and federal governments, the Watan Dost group has performed very well,” Mr Mustafa said.

He said the Watan Dost group was poised to win about 50 union council seats in the city district. However, Mr Mustafa said, the group’s victory march was curtailed somewhat by rigging and a faulty polls process.

The Jamaat-i-Islami claimed that its Al-Khidmat group had won 21 nazim and 27 naib naizm seats. The Al-Khidmat group had made a seat-to-seat adjustment with Watan Dost, Awam Dost and other smaller groups.