TIMERGARA, July 10: Dissident leaders of Awami National Party, Lower Dir chapter, on Tuesday formed an independent group and announced to field its own candidates on all four seats of the provincial assembly and one seat of national assembly during the next election.

The group led by ANP former MPA Haji Bahadar Khan held a meeting at Gosam Munda which was attended by more than 200 dissident workers from all constituencies of Lower Dir.

The group announced that it would contest the next general election under the name ‘ANP Constitutional Group’.

The ANP leaders Qazi Azizul Haq, Haji Bahadar Khan, Ahmad Zeb Khan, Nadar Khan, Shah Murad Khan, Amir Zada, Hayat Khan and others addressed the meeting. They alleged that the ANP leadership badly failed to satisfy diehard workers in the district.

“The ANP leadership has been engaged in trade instead of serving the interests of Pakhtuns,” said Haji Bahadar Khan, adding decades-old party workers had now stood against the party leadership.

The group also announced its own organisations in Jandol sub-division and its union councils. Nadar Khan was elected as president and Shah Murad Khan as general secretary for Jandol sub-division while Amir Zada was nominated president for Munda union council and Haji Murad Khan president for Khazana union council, respectively.—Correspondent