September 24, 2006	Sunday	Sha'aban 30, 1427

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PESHAWAR, Sept 23: The Pakistan People’s Party has started its election campaign by selecting panels of candidates for each national and provincial assembly seat in the NWFP, sources told Dawn.

Each panel comprises three people. Either they will select one most suitable candidate out of them or the party leadership will decide about the final candidate.

PPP secretary general Jehangir Badar, who visited Peshawar on Friday, addressed PPP divisional and district presidents, general secretaries and intending candidates from Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat Mardan, Malakand and Hazara and apprised them about the election policy. He told them if the party strikes an adjustment with any of the Political Allies, PPP nominees will have to withdraw their candidatures in favour of alliance candidate.

The sources said: “On the directives of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, the party had finalised a list of candidates for Peshawar division some months ago. If PPP opts for an adjustment on a seat from Peshawar, the party candidate will automatically come out of the electoral race. The PPP, however, will not make an alliance with the present ruling splinter groups, who had been supporters of the military regime”.

Mr Badar advised the district presidents to organise workers meetings and educate them about the painstaking election process, which devised a success for the government-backed contestants. He asked them to organise training workshops for party workers so that they could avert use of all unfair means before, during and after the polling at their respective polling stations.

He said if the party came into power, it would implement every clause of the Charter of Democracy. He said the charter had drawn a line of demarcation between the pro and anti-democratic forces and paved the way for a political struggle against the dictators. He asked them to contact the general masses and mobilise them on the basic and common issues. About Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s role in Balochistan, he said that the MMA was part of that government, which had endorsed the death of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.

Later, speaking to the local journalists, he said PPP members alone would not resign from the assembly seats. He said if the opposition (MMA) wanted to launch a decisive campaign against Gen Pervez Musharraf, it should refrain from raising non-issues and endorse charter of democracy.