Rift surface in ranks of ANP ahead of party elections

The Awami National Party’s key leaders have developed serious differences over key slots of president and general secretary ahead of party elections expected this month.The visible two major groups are headed by ex minister for transport Mohammad Karim Babak who is uncle of minister for education while another by Mohammad Iqbal Khan of Panjtar. They are the expected another words aspirant candidates for the top slot of president while ex secretary general Rahim Zada of Salarzai is in the group of Mohammad Karim Babak and Waliur Rehman of Torwarsak in the group of Mohammad Iqbal Khan, inside sources confirmed.The said groups are supported by top leadership of the district including minister for education Sardar Hussain Babak and ex district nazim Haji Rauf Khan the former and MPA Qaisar Wali Khan the later one respectively. Both of them are active for gaining support of workers. The corner meetings of the confronting groups are levelling allegations against each other while MNA Istiqbal Khan and MPA Said Rahim Khan are playing role of silent spectators apparently. But secretly as reported they are supporting one of them, inside sources disclosed.The source confided that a committee of top leadership headed by provincial president Afrasiab Khattak was also summoned both of them to district Swabi when on trip to resolve differences among ranks there. But the groups from district Buner were not agreed over patch up request, sources revealed.The interesting aspect of the whole episode is that the existing general secretary and interim president Mian Syed Laiq Bacha and Qareebur Rehman are also taken mum over the ongoing developments in the party in spite they have contributed a lot and have wide ranging political influence at district and provincial level.The political pundits are of the view that the ongoing tussle amongst ranks will force the top bosses in the province to convince the resigned president Abdur Rashed Khan of Makhranai by removing his genuine grievances and pave way for his elections as a powerful president in the larger party interests. In case of winning elections by one or other group will lead to split in the party a head of general elections and resultantly will lose dominant position in the upcoming general elections, the pundits remarked.