"If we can come together for democracy against martial law then there is also no harm in joining hands for elections," ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain. PHOTO: IQBAL HAIDER/EXPRESS
PESHAWAR: An alliance between the Awami National Party, Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl for the soon-to-be-announced local government (LG) polls was formally declared on Monday. The partnership is the result of prolonged deliberations among the three opposition parties.
Senior ANP leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club that the leadership of the three parties have agreed to form a tripartite alliance for upcoming LG polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The alliance will be represented by a four-member committee. Hussain himself would be heading the committee, with JUI-F’s Haji Ghulam Ali as vice president, Haji Jalil Jan as press secretary and PPP’s Najmuddin Khan as the general secretary. These posts will be rotated every month, informed Hussain.
The ANP leader said the inclusion of other political parties or independent groups in the alliance will be taken after consultation among the three parties. He said the exact formula of the partnership will be figured out by the parties’ district chapters. “District chapters will keep the conditions of each party in the particular district in view when making decisions,” he said.
In case of a dispute among the district chapters, the issue will be forwarded to the central committee, he shared.
To a question, the former minister said, “If we can come together for democracy against martial law then there is also no harm in joining hands for elections.” He said they will also ask for a unified election symbol for the LG polls if there is no legal bar on it.
The alliance leaders also asked the government to arrange the LG polls as soon as possible.
PPP leaders Rahim Dad Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi and Humayun Khan, ANP’s Aqil Shah and JUI-F’s Maulana Attaur Rehman, Haij Ghulam Ali, Asif Iqbal Daudzai and Abdul Jalil Jan were present on the occasion.
This will be the second time when the three parties have agreed on forming an electoral alliance. In August last year, the parties had united against PTI and its coalition partners during the by-polls for NA-1.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 28th, 2014.
COMMENTS (2)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
They will join hands anywhere where they see themselves benefiting and the liberals wont have any problem with it cause its not PTI.