SWABI: The campaign launched by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to press the federal government to lift the `ban` on new gas connections in Swabi district has lost steam as leaders are no more interested in taking it forward, it is learnt.

Sources in the party told Dawn on Tuesday the PTI leaders had failed to take the campaign forward to keep the PML-N at bay in the district.

They said if the PTI did not take the drive to its logical conclusion it would lose the sympathy of the people, which might cost it dearly in the upcoming general elections.

The sources said the campaign was launched from Baja union council on Feb 16, and the party announced that it would culminate in Topi city on Feb 26. However, they said the campaign would not move ahead after the Gandaf meeting held a week ago.

Meanwhile, PML-N district president Iftikhar Ahmad Khan and general secre-tary Dildar Khan on Tuesday claimed that they had predicted from the day one that the PTI campaign was bound to fail as it was launched to `hoodwink` the masses.

Addressing a meeting, they said that the campaign was only launched to divert the people`s attention from the PTI government`s `failure` to deliver. `The people are the best judges and let them decide in the next general elections,` said Dildar Khan.

ACTION CONDEMNED: District nazim Ameer Rehman on Tuesday said that `targeting` of Pakhtuns in Punjab province was not acceptable and asked the provincial government to change its policy.

Speaking at a meeting, he said that the Pakhtuns were also Pakistanis and should be allowed to go to any part of the country without any hindrance.

`If someone creates hurdles for them it is not acceptable,` he said.

Mr Rehman, who is also the district president of Awami National Party, said keeping in view the emerging challenges and domestic issues there was dire need of political unity to steer the country out of the crises.