Loya Jirga: ANP’s Swabi leadership mediate crisis

District leaders appealed to the central leadership to safeguard party from disaster due to prevailing differences.

SWABI: A loya jirga in Swabi district has appealed to the senior leadership of Awami National Party (ANP) to intervene immediately to curb differences in the district leadership for intra-party polls. The participants of the jirga, held at a public library on Wednesday, agreed to continue the reconciliation process in the larger interest of protecting the party’s ideology. They asked contesting candidates to avoid mudslinging against their rivals, which can damage ANP’s image. An 18-member jirga was formed, comprising six leaders from each constituency, to mediate between two rival groups of the party. Around 180 leaders of the party attended the gathering, including former provincial ministers Sitara Ayaz and Zarshaid Khan. Khan said on the occasion that if the issue was not resolved through reconciliation, it will be sorted out democratically. District leaders appealed to the central leadership to safeguard the party from disaster due to prevailing differences.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2014.