SWABI: The local leaders of Awami National Party have written a letter to party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan to take concrete steps for resolving differences in the local chapter of ANP.

According to the letter, the ANP leaders said that they wanted an amicable solution to differences in the local chapter of the party to save it from defeat in the upcoming general elections. “What would be fate of the ANP candidates, if rivalry among its local leaders remains intact,” they questioned.

A leader of the party said that differences among the local leaders persisted during the last one decade in one shape or another. “However, the present rivalry is crucial,” he added.

Local leaders fear defeat of party in upcoming polls

Sikandar Irfan, former MPA of the party has joined PPP. Zarshaid Khan, former provincial minister, and Mukhtiar Khan, the former adviser to chief minister, does not take any interest in the party affairs while Jehanzeb Khan, former district nazim, watches the party affairs silently.

Similarly, former ticket holder of ANP Shah Nawaz Khan and former MPA Sarfaraz Khan Jadoon have been expelled from the party after they convened a jirga that advised them to contest the elections as independent candidates.

The parliamentary committee of ANP first awarded party ticket for NA-18 constituency to Shah Nawaz Khan of Topi city but withdrew the decision soon. The ticket for the constituency was again awarded and taken back owing to unknown reasons.

Similarly, ticket from former MPA Sarfaraz Khan Jadoon was also withdrawn. Earlier, he was awarded the ANP ticket for PK-43 constituency. Now, ticket for NA-18 constituency has been given to ANP party district general secretary Mohammad Islam Khan and for PK-43 to Faisal Zaman, who belongs to Topi city.

The ANP leaders said that they did not know what kinds of decisions had been taken by the party leadership and what it had in mind. “ANP leaders have already taken some steps, which have shaken the party to the core,” said a local leader of the party.

“If after the upcoming general elections, the party president has to constitute a committee to know the causes of defeat in the district then why he does not act right know to protect the party from defeat,” said the ANP local leaders.

They did not explain the nature of differences but sources said that district office-bearers of the party were not on the same page and despite numerous efforts they failed to reconcile with each other.

They said that if the party high command failed to resolve the differences, it would certainly have great negative impacts on the party’s performance in the elections.

They said that in the last general elections, ANP failed to win a signal seat from the district for the first time since the establishment of the country. “If the differences are not resolved, the party fate might be the same in July 25 elections,” they added.

The local leaders said that if they had written anything incorrect in the letter, the Bacha Khan Markaz, Peshawar should take action against them. “We are ready to be punished if anything written in the letter has proved wrong or harmful to the party,” they added.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2018