TIMERGARA, Dec 17: Seven members of the Awami National Party (ANP) from Lower Dir joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Monday.

This was announced by the naib nazim of Lower Dir, Zahir Shah, at a press conference here. He said that he and his supporters Muhammad Zamin, Muhammad Zaman, Bacha Munir, Adil Khan, Dost Muhammad, Nawab Ali and Rahman Bacha had joined the PPP.

Mr Shah said that he and his colleagues had been serving the ANP for the last 27 years but their services were not recognised. That was why they were leaving the party.

He accused a specific lobby within the ANP of not appreciating their efforts. They had no option but to join the PPP, he said.

In return, the PPP withdrew its candidate for PF-96 Khadim Jan and it allotted its party ticket to Shah’s brother Muhammad Zamin, an advocate, who also resigned from the ANP and joined the PPP.

Meanwhile, after the withdrawal of the candidates of Jamaat-i-Islami, PML-N and lawyers in Lower Dir, a total of 32 candidates are now in the run for one national and four provincial assembly seats in the district. Seven candidates including Muhammad Ayoub, Azmat Khan, Muhammad Ishaq and Javid Iqbal now remain in the race for NA-34.