PML-Q, PTI decide to jointly form district govt in Attock

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid on Wednesday decided to jointly form district government in Attock, the only district where these parties have bright chances of heading a local government out of 36 districts of Punjab province.

PML-Q’s senior leader, who heads Major Group, met PTI Chairman Imran Khan at his Banigala residence and both sides discussed the possibility of mutual cooperation to forming district government in the key district of Punjab.

Imran in principle approved the proposed arrangement with PML-Q, which is represented in the district by former nazim Major (R) Tahir Sadiq, who had contested the local government elections under the tag of ‘Major Group’.

Attock comprises 71 union councils: of these 28 have been won by PML-Q while nine by PTI and the rest were bagged by PML-N. Under a seat arrangement, PML-Q had not put up candidates in five union councils, making the way for PTI to pocket these while PTI itself had won union councils.

The district has three seats in the National Assembly i.e. NA-57, NA-58 and NA-59. PML-N’s Shiekh Aftab Ahmad had won from NA-57 in 2013 general election, who is now federal minister for parliamentary affairs while from NA-58, Major (R) Ihtebar Khan of the same party had returned, whereas Muhammad Zain Elahi, who is son of Tahir Sadiq had made his way to the National Assembly from NA-59. He had stood as an independent candidate but belongs to PML-Q.

Needless to say, the ruling PML-N had not been able to fully cash in on its electoral successes in the general election during the local government polls. There is a strong possibility of this key district going to PML-Q and PTI, who are determined to form district government in Attock.

“Yes, of course, we are going to form the local government in this district after PTI showed its readiness to cooperate with us,” said MNA while talking to The News on telephone. He said that after having their pool in the reserved seats, they were surely going to form district government in Attock and added this would be the only district out of the rule of PML-N. Apart from their share in reserved seats for women, youth, labour and minorities, the tally of their (PML-Q and PTI) seats is 37.