City politics: Tripartite alliance announces seat adjustment for three towns

Decision on 25 seats of Town I to be finalised after further consultations.

PESHAWAR: The tripartite alliance formed by Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Pakistan Peoples Party for local government elections has finalised seat adjustment plans for three out of the four towns in Peshawar district.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, the president of the alliance, JUI-F’s Khairul Bashar, told journalists the polls are scheduled for next month (May) and all three parties reached an agreement for seat adjustment in the district.

The divvy

He said out of 134 seats in towns II, III and IV, ANP has been given 48 seats, PPP 44 and 42 seats have been offered to JUI-F. Bashar added the decision on 25 seats of Town I will be finalised after consulting district organisations.

He added all three parties are prepared to wipe out the ruling party and have asked workers to put in all efforts to win local government polls.



Loyal partners

General secretary for the alliance, ANP’s Malik Naseem said the party leadership has decided to join the coalition, adding they would not betray their allies as is evident from the past.

Former senator JUI-F’s Ghulam Ali said the main objective of the alliance is to make a clean sweep in the polls. He added Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had held a sit-in outside the Parliament for months while their government in the province failed to deliver their promise in over 17 months of their rule.

Ali announced the campaign will be launched after April 20.

Ruling party

“Those who were rejected by the public in the general elections in 2013 have formed alliances to defeat the ones who have changed the lives of people,” said PTI district president Yaseen Khalil. He was also addressing a news conference at the press club.

“The opposition is displeased by their defeat and has formed an alliance to contest LG polls in Peshawar,” he added.

Khalil was talking to journalists after PPP’s former senior vice president for Peshawar Haji Khurshid and his family announced they were joining PTI. Haji Khurshid said his family was associated with PPP for years but were compelled to join PTI keeping in view the development in the province under the party’s rule.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2015.