MARDAN, Nov 1: Former district joint secretary of Awami National Party Javed Akhtar on Thursday announced to join Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) along with family members and friends.

He made the announcement during a news conference here, where QWP, Mardan district president Rashid Khan and provincial vice president Hamayun Khilji were also in attendance.

Mr Akhtar said on the occasion that the ANP government had disappointed Pakhtuns over the last four and a half years due to involvement in massive corruption.

He said the ANP leadership had forgotten their ideological and old party workers and replaced them with turncoats.

Mr Rashid welcomed Mr Akhtar and his family members and friends to the party and said the so-called of champions of Pakhtun rights had left members of their community in miserable condition.

He said QWP chief Aftab Sherpao was the only leader, who could steer Pakhtuns out of misery.

“We’ll sweep the next elections in the province,” he said.

RESERVATIONS VOICED: Farmers of nine union councils of Rustam village have expressed reservations about the establishment of agricultural farm service centres in the area.

Murtaza Bacha, Mohammad Zubair, Naeemzada and Shah Zaman told reporters here that there were no warehouses and stores in the said farm service centres, while the prices of production items were very high.

They alleged that wheat display plots had been allotted to women, while the farm service centres didn’t supply seeds of vegetables and fruits.

The farmers demanded reorganisation of these farm service centres, timely provision of seeds, increase in registration fee, provision of agriculture tools, sinking of tube-wells for rainy areas and a mechanism for strict accountability and monitoring.