LAKKI MARWAT, Dec 19: Candidates belonging to a strong independent group held a big public meeting in Landiwah on Wednesday.

Thousands of people participated in the meeting and pledged that they would prefer newcomers over so-called traditional politicians in the coming polls.

Speaking on the occasion, independent candidate for NA-27 Khan Bahadar Khan and Saiful Malook, an aspirant for PF-76 (Lakki Marwat-III) came hard on policies of former lawmakers of the area, accusing them of not delivering the goods to the masses during the past three decades.

They lamented that the area people were confronted with various problems like scarcity of drinking water, lack of health and education facilities and deplorable condition of roads and government buildings.

“Politicians who became members of the National Assembly and NWFP Provincial Assembly from the area never served the people but only benefited a specific group instead of serving all the people,” they said.

They pledged that they had entered the election fray to change the prevailing culture and launch a new trend in politics that would aim at using all resources and energies for the betterment of all people.

“There is a dire need of bringing new faces into politics,” they said, adding that independent candidates will make all-out efforts to remove backwardness of the area and put the district on a par with other developed parts of the country.

They called upon the people to reject these so-called traditional politicians and cast their votes in their favour to rid the area of problems.