PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party has announced its candidates for national and provincial assemblies’ seats for by-election to be held on August 22.

A meeting chaired by provincial president of the party Senator Afrasiab Khattak announced that Ghulam Ahmed Bilour will be contesting election from NA-1 Peshawar, Daud Khattak from NA-5 Nowshera, Sitara Ayaz NA-13 Swabi, Ahmed Bahadar Khan PK-23 Mardan and Hussain Ali Shah PK-42 Hangu.

The party has decided not to field candidate on PK-27 and support brother of an independent MPA Imran Mohmand who was killed in a suicide attack in Mardan last month, a press release said.

The meeting was also attended by Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Senator Baz Mohammad Khan, Aqil Shah, Ghulam Mustafa, Sardar Hussain Babak and district presidents and general secretaries. It nominated coordination committees to work for success of the ANP candidates in the polls.

On this occasion, Mr Afrasiab said that their workers would thwart any attempt of rigging in the election. He claimed that May 11 elections were engineered and the ANP faced defeat at the hands of agencies with the support of establishment.

The ANP leader said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led coalition government in the province had failed to come up to the peoples’ expectations. He wondered why the PTI was undecided to ask Asad Qaisar to choose between the posts of KP Assembly Speaker and provincial head of the party.

He said that Mr Qaisar should know that he could not be party president and Speaker at the same time.