SWABI, Jan 19: The Awami National Party's local leaders and workers here have been pressing their party high command to award a Senate ticket to a leader from Swabi district for the upcoming election, insiders say.
They said that in this regard workers' pressure on the party's district stalwarts is also mounting, as the ANP's central leadership has never granted a Senate ticket to a leader from Swabi district since the country's inception in 1947.
Some local leaders, opting not to be named, said they had been facing internal and external criticism for not being able to secure a Senate ticket for Swabi. They said that this time the ANP leaders and activists from union council level to six provincial constituencies and district leaders are insisting for a Senate ticket for the district.
The campaign for securing a ticket has got momentum following the government's announcement to hold the Senate election in March.
When contacted, a senior ANP leader here said: 'We have been working hard to acquire a Senate ticket and we don't want to miss the bus, as we are under extreme pressure from the party workers.
The sources said that the party activists in Swabi were annoyed with the central leadership because they had to face embarrassment when rival politicians reminded them that Wali Bagh leaders from Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan to Asfandyar Wali Khan and his son Aimal Wali had been calling Swabi district their second home, but always ignored it in Senate election.
They said that the PPP-S had got elected Gufran Khan as Senator from the district while JI Senator from Swabi, Murad Ali Shah, had already completed his tenure.
However, no one was elected as Senator from Swabi district on the ANP's ticket so far.
They said that the rival parties always challenged the people of the district that if the ANP central leadership were calling Swabi their second home why it always ignored the district. This way the other parties have also been luring the voters in general elections, said the ANP insiders.
A party leader said that the ANP central and provincial leaders should understand the situation amid continued campaign of the rival parties against the ANP leadership.
'In case of failure to award a Senate ticket to a Swabi leader, our party position can face a grave threat in coming general elections,' he said.
The party insiders said that a number of ANP dissidents in the district had already joined the PPP-S while alleging that the party's provincial government failed to start a single mega project in the district.
Observers here said that Swabi district workers had been so loyal to the party that when the ANP leadership awarded the party ticket to (late) Abdul Khalig Khan, belonging to Mardan, for the NA-8 (Swabi) in 1988 he emerged victorious.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the Swabi district leadership of the JUI-F, PPP and PML-N were also in contact with their central leaders for winning the Senate ticket.
However, sources said that the local PPP was divided into two groups; one seeking a ticket for party's district president Manfat Khan and the other for district general secretary Fida Hussain. -Correspondent