PESHAWAR, Feb 26: The Awami National Party has received about 400 applications from candidates seeking party tickets for contesting coming general election despite being at the receiving end of militancy.

“Pakhtuns have always fought bravely in the face of daunting challenges. The notion that bomb blasts and attacks will scare away the people from taking part in election from the ANP’s platform is wrong,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Dawn.

The number of applicants is double than the last election held in 2008, which means that people’s confidence has increased in the government due to its development work, he said. The party, he said, wanted peace before the election to facilitate smooth sailing of next polls.

He said that it was evidence of their performance that a large number of people had been applying for ANP tickets though it was the only political party beset with extreme violence. The Pakhtuns are so brave that threats couldn’t dent their resolve, he said, adding that people would come out in election to support their party.

There is no reason that the followers of Bacha Khan would come under pressure and stay away from election, the minister said, adding that followers of Bacha Khan‘s ideology could not be scared away.

The 100,000 Khudai Khidmatgaars fought the war of independence against a much stronger enemy, but never lost courage, he said and added that Pakhtuns got strength after emergence of new challenges before them which increased their capability to cope with any situation more effectively.

Mr Hussain said that they had decided to award tickets to those candidates who had party’s support in respective constituencies in districts and tehsils. He said that the parliamentary board was looking at the performance of sitting ministers, MPAs and MNAs and they would be given tickets only if they fulfilled the criteria.

“We can spring surprises in some districts where some people believe the ANP didn’t have candidates. We would field very strong and influential candidates in the election,” he said.

It was misconception that people wouldn’t turn up in meetings, as the party had received several applications for tickets of each of the provincial and national constituencies.

Meanwhile, the ANP had extended application deadline for tickets for next general election on the recommendations of party’s local chapters, a press release said.

It was decided in the parliamentary board meeting held under Senator Afrasiab Khattak that applications for party tickets could be submitted at Bacha Khan Markaz latest by March 5. MNA Jamila Gilani, Arbab Tahir Khan, Baz Mohammad Khattak and Mohammad Karim Babak also attended the meeting, which said that the party had received double of the applications for ANP ticket it received for 2008 election.

It said that ticket-seekers were directed to apply through proper channel and get their applications attested by party’s president and general secretary of the district where they wanted to contest the polls.

KARAK: ANP district president Usman Khattak told journalists here on Tuesday that three members submitted applications for getting ticket for the lone National Assembly seat while as many would-be candidates wanted to get party’s tickets for two provincial assembly seats in the district.

He said that Ahmad Farooq, Khursheed Khattak and Sharif Khattak were in the run for getting ticket for the National Assembly seat. He said that Khursheed Khattak also wanted to get ticket for PK-40, while former provincial minister Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan and Mansoor Khattak submitted applications for contesting election from PK-41.