SWABI: Serious differences persist among the religious parties, as Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leaders have failed to finalise the names of contesting candidates in the district despite several meetings.

JI district chief Memhoodul Hassan said that they had planned to field candidates in all constituencies.The party leaders have demanded fair share in the constituencies, but that was plainly rejected by JUI-F leaders.

Attaul Haq, MMA district chief, said that according to formula one seat each of the National Assembly and provincial assembly was included in the JI share, but it demanded one more constituency which was rejected by JUI-F.

Sources said that the matter would now be decided in the meeting of provincial parliamentary committee of the religious parties.

“We expect this issue would soon be resolved by the committee members,” Mr Haq said.

NOMINATIONS FILED: Several prominent leaders of ANP, PML-N, PTI and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal filed nomination papers here on Friday.

PML-N leaders who filed nomination papers included former MPA Mohammad Shiraz Khan from PK-43, Swabi-I, ex-MPA Babar Saleem PK-44, Swabi-II, Ijaz Akram Bacha from PK-47, Swabi-V, and Sajjad Khan from NA-19, Swabi-II. The PTI leaders who filed the papers included former MNA Usman Khan Tarakai from NA-19, ex-MPA Abdul Karim PK-45, Swabi-III, former MPA Mohammad Ali Tarakai PK-46 and former provincial minister Shahram Khan Tarakai from PK-47.

ANP’s Ameer Rehman filed his nomination from PK-47, Ayaz Shoaib PK-46, Amjid Ali PK-45, Gul Zamin Shah from PK-44 and Mohammad Islam from PK-18, Swabi-1.

The MMA district president has filed the nomination papers from NA-18, Ishfaqullah Khan for NA-19, Maluana Roshan Zeb PK-43, Maulana Qamar Zaman PK-44, Maluana Amin Dost PK-45. All these leaders belong to JUI-F.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Local TV journalists on Friday formed Swabi Electronic Media Association and vowed to uphold the ethics and principles of journalism.

Journalist Mohammad Farooq has been nominated as first president and Azmat Khan general secretary of the association. Other office-bearers included Mohammad Adil senior vice-president, Mustafa Kamal vice-president, Rukhsar Ali joint secretary and Mohammad Riaz finance secretary.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2018