ANP announces candidates for polls in merged districts

PESHAWAR: The parliamentary board of the Awami National Party (ANP) has announced candidates for the upcoming elections in tribal districts on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seats.

The candidates were finalised at a meeting of the parliamentary board of the party headed by Aimal Wali Khan on Tuesday. Secretary Parliamentary Board Sardar Hussain Babak and other leaders of the party also attended the meeting.

The ANP announced that Gul Afzal Khan will contest election from PK-100 Bajaur, Haji Lali Khan will contest from PK-101 and Sheikh Jehanzada will contest polls from PK-102, the third constituency of Bajaur.

From Mohmand tribal district, Nisar Khan Mohmand will contest election from PK-103, while Hazrat Khan Mohmand will contest election from PK-104. For three constituencies of Khyber tribal districts, namely PK-105, PK-105 and PK-107, Shah Hussain Shinwari, Naheed Bibi and Muhammad Siddique Chirag will contest polls from the ANP ticket.

From Kurram tribal district, Farooq Ahmed will contest election from PK-108 and Noshi Bangash will contest from PK-109. Sherullah Wazir and Ashraf Dawar will contest from PK-111 and PK-112 constituencies of North Waziristan, while Taj Muhammad Wazir will contest from PK-114 of South Waziristan.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalised preparations for the July 2 provincial elections in tribal districts. Although the 26^th constitutional amendment bill has been passed by the National Assembly for increase of seats of tribal districts in national and provincial assemblies. In case of completion of the amendment, the ECP will have to delay the polls as increased number of seats will need readjustment of constituencies.

Earlier, the ANP called a Pakhtun Jirga on June 14 to discuss the pressing problems faced by Pakhtuns.

The decision to call the Jirga was taken at meeting of the party’s provincial cabinet in Peshawar. The Jirga will discuss the issues of Pakhtuns, different on-going movements and emerging situation in the province. The ANP activists will stage protest in front of Peshawar Press Club against restrictions on the media.

Participants of the meeting expressed concern over the situation in North Waziristan after a clash of the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement activists with the security forces. They said the protesters should have been dealt calmly and all matters should have been dealt through negotiations.