PESHAWAR, Aug 20: The Awami National Party (ANP) and the Peoples’ Party Parliamentarians (PPP) have regained their political territory in the heartland of the NWFP, in the first phase of the local body elections.

The two professedly secular political parties have reclaimed Peshawar Valley that includes the five districts of Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi and Nowshera, turning the tables on the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal. The religious alliance had surprised all by its performance in the last general elections.

The ANP, which had held sway in Peshawar Valley until it suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the religious alliance, has surprisingly done well by emerging the single largest group in all the five districts.

Party secretary information Syed Aqil Shah even claimed in a statement on Friday that its Watan Dost group was in a position to form government in the five districts.

“We have re-emerged as the single largest political party,” Mr Shah said. “We have got the maximum number of votes. We are in a position to form government in the five districts and for that we are open to talks with other political parties,” Mr Shah told Dawn.

The resurgence of the Pukhtun nationalist party is more significant after it was hit by an internal crisis that saw the unceremonious ouster of the so-called Iron Lady, Begum Nasim Wali Khan, and made its president Asfandyar Wali Khan much stronger.

According to unofficial results, the ANP-backed Watan Dost won 27 of the 92 union councils, followed by Jamaat-i-Islami’s Alkhidmat group with 22 and PPP’s Awam Dost with 20 union councils, while 12 union councils have gone to the independents.

It is clear that any two of the three political groups will have to join hands to form their government in the district.

In Charsadda, home to the leadership of the ANP and Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, the ANP resurged with 20 union councils of the total 49, Sherpao’s Taraqqi Pasand ended up winning 12 union councils. Results from five union councils are being awaited.

The MMA suffered its heaviest defeat in the district of Nowshera, home to the Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad and JUI-S leader Maulana Samiul Haq.

In fact Qazi’s son Asif Luqman Qazi had run quarter page advertisements in local newspapers, projecting himself as candidate for the slot of district nazim.

However, JI amir’s one nephew won a union council by barely four votes while his other nephew lost to the PPP-backed candidate. So much so that the JI Nowshera City ameer, Noor Islam, who was also contesting, lost his own union council.

Out of the total 48 union councils, the ANP, PPP and PPP-S won 11 union councils each with JI trailing miserably behind with only three union councils to its credit. The JUI-S did not win a single union council at all.

In Mardan’s 75 union councils, the ANP again has emerged as the single largest group with 20 union councils, followed by JUI-F with 14 union councils and PPP with 13 union councils. Another 13 union councils had independent panels.

Swabi with 55 union councils, once the stronghold of the ANP until the last general elections, has swung back to the nationalist party that has claimed 22 union councils.

The PML-Q and the independents have eight union councils each while the PPP-S and the Swabi Qaumi Mahaz have won two union councils each.

Out of the total 32 union councils in Kohat, 18 have gone to independent groups, five to the JUI-F, four to the ANP, three to the Jamaat and two union councils to PPP-S.

In Haripur, of the total 45 union councils, PML-Q has won 11 and its rival PML-N has won eight union councils, but an overwhelming majority, 23, have gone to independent groups.

The JUI-F should be able to get district nazims in Karak, Bannu, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan while the JI will have the consolation of getting its own district nazim in Buner, the home district of its speaker in the NWFP Assembly, Bakht Jehan Khan.