SWABI, Sept 19: Parliamentarians from Swabi belonging to Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal are said to have foiled an attempt by the district nazim to meet Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani.

Sources in the district government told Dawn here on Sunday that the District Nazim, Jehanzeb Khan, wanted to meet the chief minister to enlist his support for some development projects and seek financial assistance for the damage caused by recent rains in different parts of Swabi.

The estimated loss caused by the rains is put at more than Rs15 million. It would be quite difficult for the district government to meet the losses without the financial assistance from the provincial government, the sources said.

The best option for the district government, they said, was to secure financial help from the provincial government. However, the sources said it had become a Herculean task to either meet the chief minister or secure financial help because the MNAs and MPAs belonging to the district oppose such meeting.

The two MNAs from the district are affiliated with the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F), while NWFP Education Minister Maulana Fazal Ali and MPA Abdul Majid Khan also belong to the religious parties' alliance.

Another reason, the sources said, was that the district nazim belonged to the Awami National Party and during the by-election the religious parties had opposed him. Besides, the provincial government has been at loggerhead with 24 district governments over various issues.