NOWSHERA/ LAKKI MARWAT: A multi-party conference of local leaders here on Wednesday rejected the proposed delimitation of constituencies in Nowshera district and alleged that the Election Commission of Pakistan had rearranged the constituencies on the instructions of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

The conference held at the hujra of PML-N’s additional secretary general Ikhtiar Wali here at Nowshera Kalan was chaired by Awami National Party central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and attended by PPP district president Malik Ghulam Hazrat, ANP Nowshera president Malik Juma Khan, PTI’s dissident MPA Qurban Khan and MNA Siraj Mohammad, former MPAs Pervez Ahmad Khan and Baseer Khattak, Atlas Khan Khattak and Ikhtiar Wali of PML-N besides Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI-F and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Noorani) activists.

They alleged that the delimitation was done according to the desire of Pervez Khattak as he belonged to Nowshera district. They said that it was unacceptable to them and they would counter it politically and legally.

The participants of the moot formed two committees; one of lawyers to analyse the delimitation process from legal point of view and the other comprising presidents and general secretaries of all political parties of Nowshera chapter to decide future line of action against the changes in constituencies.

Mian Iftikhar, others claim changes in Nowshera made on CM’s desire

On this occasion, Iftikhar Hussain told mediapersons that the opposition parties, including the forward block of PTI, had rejected the proposed delimitation of constituencies in Nowshera and termed it a move to please the chief minister.

He threatened that they would not allow the chief minister to play this game with the people of Nowshera.

Answering a question, he said that they would move court and it might be based on constituencies as every constituency had different problems than the other. However, he added that they would follow the advice of lawyers committee in this regard.

The ANP leader alleged that Pervez Khattak had done injustice with Nowshera district and that’s why all the local leaders of the mainstream political parties forged unity against him. He said that the ECP should explain why constituencies were disturbed on the instructions of deputy commissioner, Nowshera, without taking the opposition parties into confidence.

He claimed the ECP took only the chief minister into confidence on the delimitation while other parties were ignored. He added that people had no objection to the old constituencies. He also questioned the delimitation when results of the official census were not announced. He feared that such tactics could disturb the process of general elections.

In Lakki Marwat, the residents of Abakhel union council held a protest demonstration in Lakki city on Wednesday against the proposed delimitation of provincial assembly constituencies.

Led by district councillor Irfanllah Khan, the protesters gathered at Qazi Ishfaq Chowk and closed Tajazai-Darra Tang road. They later opened the road and reached the press club where they told mediapersons that the delimitation of constituencies was against the wishes of residents of the district.

They said that provincial assembly constituencies, including PK-74, PK-75 and PK-76, had been reconstituted and renamed as PK-91, PK-92 and PK-93 while no new constituency of provincial assembly or National Assembly was constituted in the district.

“The Abakhel union council was part of PK-76 hence it should have been included in PK-93 after reconstitution of constituencies,” they said and added that the union council had now been made part of PK-92, which was not acceptable to them. They termed the move politically motivated.

They demanded of the authorities concerned to restore Abakhel union council in PK-76 (now PK-93).

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2018