MARDAN, Sept 25: Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Sunday promised that a passport office would soon be opened in the district. Addressing a gathering of newly-elected union council nazims and councillors belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party-Sherpao here, he said the outgoing district government had failed to ensure supply of natural gas and electricity in many areas of the district and assured the elected representatives that the problem would now be solved.

He said that the ‘massive’ turnout in the local body’s election reflected the confidence of people in the policies of President Pervez Musharraf government.

Syed Kamal Shah, the candidate for the office of the district nazim, in his speech criticized the outgoing district nazim and naib nazim.