ANP issues show-cause notices to leaders for violating party discipline

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party (ANP) has issued show-cause notices to three senior party leaders for violating discipline during the election last month for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in the merged tribal districts.

ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan issued the show-cause notices to senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi, Imran Afridi and Ayaz Wazir for not supporting the party candidates in the election.

The notice issued to Abdul Latif Afridi stated that his son had contested the election for the KP Assembly as an independent candidate.

"Being the senior leader, the party has always accorded due respect to you and your family," the notice said. "However, neither you nor your son considered it appropriate to apply for the party ticket when the parliamentary board had sought application from candidates," it added.

The notice reminded Latif Afridi that he campaigned for his son instead of supporting the ANP candidate.

The show-cause notice issued to Imran Afridi, a veteran ANP leader from Bara in Khyber, criticised him and his family for supporting an independent candidate. "In the merged district and under new circumstances the party was expecting you and your family to have worked for the victory of the party candidate, but the election result showed that the party candidates had not performed in your own locality," it alleged.

The show-cause notice issued to Ayaz Wazir blamed him for engaging in activities that had harmed the interest of the party in the election. "Your action was against the party interests as you had been campaigning against the party candidate in the election," the notice said.

The three party leaders were asked to submit their reply within seven days of the issuance of the show-cause notices.

ANP fared poorly in the election for the 16 seats of the KP Assembly in the merged districts as only one of its candidates, Nisar Ahmad, won a seat from Mohmand district.

The ANP had last year expelled senior party leaders Afrasiab Khattak and Bushra Gohar for indiscipline.