MARDAN, Aug 29: Groups backed by the Awami National Party and the Jamaat-i-Islami have struck a deal to jointly contest the forthcoming election of the district and two tehsils.

Addressing a joint press conference at the Mardan Press Club (MPC), Dr Syed Badshah, district organizer of the JI-backed Al-Khidmat group, and the ANP’s provincial deputy general secretary, Haidar Khan Hoti, said the two groups had “developed an understanding on forming joint governments both in the district and two tehsils of Mardan”.

Dr Badshah said the deal had been struck late on Sunday night by the elders of the two parties.

Under the agreement, the posts of district nazim and naib nazims in the tehsils would be given to Watan Dost group while the posts of district naib nazim and nazims in the tehsils would go to the Al-Khidmat group.

Both sides have also agreed to divide the standing committees in the district and tehsils according to the strength of the parties. A liaison committee will be set up following the election to look into issues concerning the alliance.

This will be the second time that the two groups have banded together to form a joint government in the district. Previously, the Watan Dost group claimed the post of district nazim and the Al-Khidmat group took the naib nazim’s post. However, soon after taking over the seats the two partners developed serious differences and trained their guns on each other until the end of the government.

This time, however, the two groups said they had discussed threadbare all the areas of the agreement and ruled out the possibility of serious differences cropping up between them again.

The Watan Dost group claims it has 20 nazims, 18 naib nazims and 225 councillors, both male and female, while the Al-Khidmat group says it has 14 nazims, 20 naib nazims and 260 councillors. With a combined strength of 523, the two groups have enough seats to form the district government.

According to Mr Hoti and Dr Badshah, the agreement has been given a concrete shape and members of the two groups have signalled their willingness to stick to the terms made on paper.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Al-Khidmat group has nominated a prominent advocate and former nazim of UC Manga, Iqbal Khan Mehmand, for the post of Mardan tehsil nazim while the Watan Dost group has chosen Himaytullah Mayar advocate for the district slot. However, Mr Himayat’s name has not yet been confirmed. Nominations for naib nazims of the district and two tehsils have not been finalised yet.