Internal dissent: Former ANP MPA to contest as independent candidate

Ateefur Rehman accused ANP’s leadership of ignoring deserving candidates.

PESHAWAR:

Allocation of party tickets for the general elections is becoming a bone of contention among members of the Awami National Party (ANP).

Former MPA Ateefur Rehman Khalil, who was earlier elected from PK-5, on Tuesday held a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) saying he will contest as an independent candidate following disagreements with ANP’s leadership.

“I will not resign from the party, but will contest from NA-2 and PK-5 as an independent candidate because the party has allocated a ticket to Arbab Tahir in my constituency,” said Khalil.



He criticised ANP’s leadership and accused it of ignoring deserving candidates in favour of influential ones.

He alleged many union council cabinets from PK-5 to PK-10 have resigned from the party and will support independent candidates contesting for provincial and national assemblies.

Earlier, Khalil’s colleagues including Arbab Najibullah Khan, former ANP general secretary of Peshawar Abdur Rahim and Barrister Haroon Bilour met him at the PPC and tried to convince him to change his decision.



Speaking outside the PPC before the news conference addressed by Khalil, Haroon Bilour told journalists there is a legal way to defend oneself in case of not being awarded a party ticket. They must first file a case with the parliamentary board wherein a five-member committee decides the case on merit, he added.

“If the parliamentary board fails to decide, the case is forwarded to the appellate board which has the final authority to accept or reject it. Bringing such cases in the front of the media is not a good omen for the party,” said Bilour.

Arbab Tahir Khan, who has been allotted the party ticket for PK-5, is the provincial general secretary and provincial information secretary for ANP.

Khalil hails from Tehkal area and resigned from the union council nazim seat to contest the 2008 general elections. He defeated Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Maulana Amanullah Haqqani.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2013.

Correction: An earlier version of the article incorrectly called Ateefur Rehman a 'provincial minister'. The error has been rectified.