ANP leaders exchange harsh words at meeting

MARDAN: Awami National Party (ANP) leader and former district nazim Himayatullah Mayar and the party’s election committee chairman Ahmed Khan Bahadur exchanged harsh words during a meeting here on Sunday, sources in the party said.

The sources added the meeting was arranged for former and newly elected party office-bearers of different tehsils of Mardan district.

Former chief minister Amir Haider Hoti, Ahmed Khan Bahadur and members of the election committee attended the meeting.

When Amir Haider Hoti left after speaking at the meeting, ANP’s newly elected tehsil president Said Alam and Mian Tahir stood up and started campaigning for Himayatullah Mayar for the district president’s office.

Sources said that Himayatullah Mayar was speaking at the meeting when Fida Khan, Javed Khan and other local leaders tried to interrupt him.

They pointed out that the meeting had not been called for campaigning for the office of ANP district president, but was being held to welcome the new party office-bearers.

The sources said the election committee chairman Ahmad Khan Bahadur told them that he hasn’t prepared the list of district council members and this triggered an exchange of harsh words between him and Himayatullah Mayar.

It may be mentioned here that Himayatullah Mayar and Ahmed Khan Bahadur have been at loggerheads in recent years.

In the 2018 by-election for a provincial assembly seat in Mardan vacated by Amir Haider Hoti, Himayatullah Mayar allegedly instigated the party office-bearers and workers to oppose the candidature of Ahmed Khan Bahadur, who lost the contest to a PTI candidate.

The sources that a few weeks ago Amir Haider Hoti reconciled the two party leaders with each other, but the rift between them never healed. The two had become involved in a tussle while seeking the ANP ticket for contesting election.