MARDAN, Aug 23: The People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) have decided to field joint candidates on the three National and eight provincial assemblies seats of Mardan.
According to the understanding reached between the two parties, the PPP has been given four provincial and two National assemblies seats, while four provincial and one National assemblies seats had been offered to the ANP.
The ANP has been given provincial seats PF-23, PF-25, PF-26 and PF-28 and NA-11 while the PPP had been given PF-24, PF-27, PF-29, PF-30 and NA-9 and NA-10.
The ANP allotted ticket for PF-23 and PF-28 to Amir Haider Hoti, for PF-26 to Abbas Khan, and for PF-25 Himaytullah Mayar has been awarded the ticket, while for NA-11 the party has nominated Shehryar Amirzada, son of former law minister Amirzada Khan of Bakhsahli, Mardan.
It may be added that the late Amirzada Khan was a prominent lawyer of Mardan and was nominated presidential candidate by the NAP against Chaudhry Fazl Elahi in 1973.
However, both the parties are facing problems over NA-11, as the PPP district president, Khan Ghawas Khan, who was earlier allotted this seat, was now reluctant to vacate it for the ANP.
Khan Ghawas, who resides within the limits of NA-11, has held that it was a safe seat for the People’s Party Parliamentarians because he had not only strengthened the party in the area, the PPP also had a strong support and was in a position to win it comfortably.
The PPP has awarded ticket to former MNA Khanzada Khan for NA-9, who wants to field his son-in-law Faiq Khan, an industrialist from Par Hoti, because he (Khanzada) could not meet the graduation condition.
Former provincial minister Rahimdad Khan of the PPP, who has been nominated to contest polls from NA-10, is also likely to field another person because of being under-graduate.
Both the PML (N) and the PML (Q) are facing a strange situation because they have not decided as yet about their candidates particularly for the National Assembly seats.
The PML (N) Secretary-general, Saranjam Khan, hails from Mardan city, but he too could not contest because of the graduation condition. Therefore, he has not filed paper for any seat from his hometown.
The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has decided to allot all the three National Assembly seats according to a formula reached among the member parties. Accordingly, two seats — NA-9 and NA-10 — have been given to JUI (F), while NA-11 has been allotted to Jamaat-i-Islami.
The two provincial seats have been given to the JI. The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has decided to field Shujaul Mulk from NA-9, Qasim Muhtamim from NA-10, and Attaur Rehman from NA-11. Attaur Rehman is the son of former provincial chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Maulana Gauhar Rehman.
PF-23 has been given to JUI(S) which has fielded Ikramullah Shahid.
