CHARSADDA: Senior nationalist leader Fareed Toofan rejoined Awami National Party on Saturday after a long absence from the party.

Mr Toofan, who remained a provincial minister in the ANP-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz coalition government in 1997, announced the rejoining after meeting central president Asfandyar Wali Khan at the Walibagh here.

The ANP issued a statement, saying that Fareed Toofan would announce formal joining at a press conference in next few days.

At the meeting, Asfandyar welcomed rejoining of the party by the senior nationalist leader hailing from Karak district.

Fareed Toofan had earlier served as provincial general secretary of the party. He was considered a confidante of the Wali Khan family.

After quitting the party in 2005, Mr Toofan had joined PML-N. Later, he switched over to the Pakistan Peoples Party. Lately, he joined the Pakistan Tehree-i-Insaf, and contested the last general elections to the provincial assembly on the PTI ticket from Karak district, but lost to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s Mian Nisar Kakakhel.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2019