PESHAWAR, Feb 26: The Pakistan People’s Party has said it will favour renaming of the province through a referendum so that each and every section of the society could participate in the process.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, PPP provincial chief Rahimdad Khan said it was his party MPA who had presented a resolution on the renaming of the province in the house in 1998. He said: “We don’t want to stir a controversy, that is why we have suggested that every citizen should give his/her opinion on the issue."

On the occasion, Mehmood Alam, the winner from the PF-62, Kohistan-II, announced his decision of joining PPP and reposed his confidence in the leadership of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and provincial party chief Rahimdad Khan.

Mr Alam said he had joined the party to work for the development of his backward district and prosperity of his poor people. Mr Alam had defeated Mualavi Ismatullah, a three-time elected member and a leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam in Kohistan. After his joining, the strength of PPP has risen to 20 in the provincial assembly.

Lauding the resolve of the MPA-elect from Kohistan, PPP provincial chief said the PPP had served the downtrodden across the country since its inception and it would initiate development-oriented projects in remotest districts like Kohistan to put it onto the road of development and prosperity. He said PPP did well in the elections and would have performed better had PPP chairperson not been assassinated.

He said PPP would support the Awami National Party in forming a coalition government in the NWFP. The ANP, he said, had emerged as the single majority party in the house and it was their right to form a government in the province. He denied that they had demanded some particular portfolios from the ANP. He said: “We have agreed to form a stable political government in the province. Other minor things do not matter.”

To a question, he said both the parties had decided to work together for the restoration of real democracy and welfare of the general people.