MARDA - A “cold war” has started between Awami National Party lawmaker Ahmed Khan Bahadur and District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar for securing party ticket for PK-25 Mardan-III, party sources revealed here on Monday.

Both the candidates were interested to get the ANP ticket and that the party leadership has also allegedly decided to allot the ticket of PK-25, Mardan-3 to one of these two candidates. Since the proposed candidates have heard about the leadership decision, they have started campaign to strengthen their position. 

According to details, District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar and ANP lawmaker Ahmed Khan Bahadur and some other party candidates had applied for the ticket of PK-25 for the upcoming elections.

The party leadership, including ANP KP chapter President Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, has allegedly decided to allot the ticket to Himayatullah Mayar or Ahmed Khan Bahadur.

In this connection, a cold war has been started between both the expected candidates. It may be noted here that both the purposed candidate belong to Mayar village, located few kilometres from the city. The village has remained a stronghold of the ANP in the past.

However, the family of Ahmed Khan Bahadur had shifted to Khaksar House, located on Bank Road, Mardan some 50 decades ago. Haji Abdul Hakeem Khan, Ali Haider Bahadur played an active part in the Khuda-e-Khadmatgar movement and remained closed to the Bacha Khan family.

Khaksar House was also remained the centre of politics of the Khuda-e-Khadmatagr movement. Later on, Ahmed Khan Bahadur has started taking part in politics and contest the first election in 2008 on the party ticket on PK-24-Mardan-2 and succeeded.

However, in the 2013 election, the party ignored him and allotted ticket to Ali Khan s/o of former federal minister Mohammad Yaqoob Khan, however he could not secure the seat in the 2013 elections.

After that, Ahmed Khan decided to contest the election as independent candidate on this seat, however, later on the late Azam Hoti and his son Ameer Haider Hoti promised him that if Haider Hoti won the NA-9 and PK 23 seat in the election he will vacate the PK-23 seat and he will contest the election on this seat.

Later on, Hadier Hoti won both the seats and vacates PK-23. At that time, Himayatullah Mayar was also wanted to contest the election on this seat, but the party allotted ticket to Ahmed Khan and he succeeded on this seat. Mayar contest by election on NA-9 Mardan-1 when former federal minister Khawaja Hoti, after creating differences with the ANP leaders, resigned from the MNA seat. At that time, Mayar contested the by-election on this seat and succeeded. He has also remained the district nazim in the local body’s election held in the Musharraf regime.

The sources in the party added the cold war has started between these two candidates on the ticket issue.

On the other hand, some elements have also started a campaign on social media that Ahmed Bahadur allegedly would join the PTI or PTI will allot him ticket for PK-24.

However, a majority of the party workers added that the cold war between these two candidates is damaging the party image in the district.