LANDI KOTAL, Aug 5: The Tribal Political Alliance and Awami National Party, Khyber Agency, have called for holding of local bodies elections in tribal areas before the general election scheduled for October.

Speaking at a gathering of party workers in Bara on Monday, ANP Khyber Agency President Imran Afridi said Fata reforms and transfer of powers to the elected representatives were in accordance with the tribal traditions.

He expressed the hope that the reforms would usher in an era of development and progress in the tribal areas.

Tribal Political Alliance leader Khan Mohammed, in a statement, expressed his displeasure over the delay in the holding of local bodies polls in the tribal areas.

He accused the civil bureaucracy of misguiding the government over its reforms programme.

Khan Mohammed urged the government to announce sche-dule for local bodies elections in tribal areas without any delay.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Tribal Democratic Party, headed by its president Abdur Rahim Afridi, left for the North and South Waziristan to muster support for the early holding of local bodies elections and implementation of reforms in the tribal areas.

WOUNDED: Two people were injured when a Landi Kotal-bound van collided with a truck on the Peshawar-Landi Kotal road near Shagai on Monday. The driver and cleaner of the van fled after the accident.