KARAK: Former provincial minister Freed Toofan has said that leaders of Awami National Party have contacted him but he will not rejoin the party.

Mr Toofan was provincial president of ANP-W that merged with ANP last month. He said that he would join any political party within few weeks.

Addressing a consultative meeting of his supporters and local elders here on Tuesday, Mr Toofan said that he would not reconcile with ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan. He said that former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and ANP parliamentary leader in provincial assembly Sardar Hussain Babak contacted him to rejoin the party but he declined the offer as he could not work with Asfandyar Wali Khan anymore.

Mr Toofan said that he worked doe the cause of ANP for 37 years but in return 10 years ban was imposed on him. He said that he was again expelled from the party after merger of ANP and ANP-W.

Mr Toofan said that he was the real follower of Bacha Khan, the founder of Khudai Khidmatgar Tehreek. He said that he joined politics to serve poor, not to get slot of minister. He claimed that he fought for the rights of Pakhtuns.

On the occasion, the supporters of Mr Toofan asked him to continue politics to serve the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that the insistence of his supporters energised him to play active role in politics.

Meanwhile, the district chapter of Pakistan People’s Party has decided to award ticket to Anwar Saifullah, former provincial president of the party and a resident of Lakki Marwat, to contest elections from NA-15.

The decision was taken in a meeting of PPP held here on Tuesday with its district president Haji Sardar in the chair. The participants of the meeting said that Anwar Saifullah would be brought to district Karak on September 7 in a vehicular procession from Lakki Marwat.

They said that PPP would field candidates on all three constituencies of the district.

They said that Anwar Saifullah would visit the district to meet the workers and start preparations for the elections.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2017