PESHAWAR, Aug 22: The Pakistan People’s Party has decided to enter into electroal adjustments only with the progressive forces at the tehsil and district level for the future local body set-up in the province.

Provincial PPP president Rahimdad Khan told Dawn that it was too early to make a statement on the performance of his party during the first phase of the elections. Some parties with a large number of seats had contacted him for the formation of district governments, he said.

“The councillors will play a decisive role in the making of these governments,” he said.

Mr Khan claimed that his party was in a good position in Peshawar and Nowshera, while it could strike a bargain in Mardan, where it had bagged a number of seats.

He said his party had failed to maintain its position in Dera Ismail Khan, where Latifullah Alizai was elected district nazim in the last elections.

He expressed the hope that the PPP would perform well in Chitral, Malakand and Swat in the next phase of the elections.

He said that, like other provincial governments, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government had exploited all resources to influence the election process and results in the NWFP.

He said the chief minister had approved an Rs8 million package for Peshawar a week before the polls but the Election Commission didn’t take notice of it.

He said the MMA had committed pre-poll rigging in the south-western districts of the province by misusing the provincial machinery in favour of its candidates.