ANP Mardan names office-bearers

MARDAN: Lutfur Rehman was nominated as president and Haroon Khan as general secretary of Awami National Party for Mardan district on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at a jirga headed by former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti late Monday night.

Mohammad Jamal Bacha was nominated as senior vice-president, Shah Roam Aman as deputy general secretary, Jamal Nasir as information secretary and Aziz Khan as finance secretary of the party.

Sources said the party was split into groups over the election of district office-bearers.

They added that one group was led by former Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Gohar Ali Shah Bacha, former district president Mohammad Farooq Akram Khan, former district general secretary Imran Manduri, Attaullah, Fida Mohammad Khan, Suhail Bacha, Jehanzeb Khan and others while the other group was led by former district Nazim Himayatullah Mayar, Said Alam Baba, Mian Tahir, Sabz Ali Khan and other party leaders.

Sources added that later a jirga headed by party leader Gul Nawaz Khan started negotiations with both the groups.

They added that Gohar Bacha group had accepted the jirga for the solution to the issue. However, sources added that Himayatullah Mayar group wasn’t ready to accept the jirga.

The sources added that to show their strength both the group called meetings of their supporters on Monday at 10 pm.

Gohar Bacha group called meeting at a wedding hall and Himayatullah Mayar called a meeting at the party’s district office.

The sources said that later the party leaders started criticising Himayatullah Mayar for using the party office for the meeting. However, the sources added that later former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti issued a notification directing both the groups to cancel the meeting.