PESHAWAR, Jan 16: The Awami National Party has criticized the local government secretary for issuing a notification regarding the appointment of Sultanul Mulk as caretaker nazim of Dir district.

In a press statement on Monday, ANP information secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the chief secretary and secretary of the local government vide a notification had prevented Sultanul Mulk from carrying out official work as nazim and had set January 18 as deadline for Inayatullah to prove his majority.

He said that the deadline was two days away when the government issued another notification through which Mr Mulk was made caretaker nazim. The question, he said, was whether the fresh notification or the previous one was valid?

He alleged that NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq had used the government machinery to get results of his choice.

The ANP leader said that owing the unbecoming attitude of the senior minister the situation was getting worse and could lead to some unpleasant incident.

He said the chief secretary and secretary of the local government had further complicated the problem.