KP CM to present report on PTI’s defeat in province to PM: sources

ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan will present a report to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the PTI’s defeat during the recent local body elections in the province  today, well-placed sources said.

The sources said that CM Khan will brief the prime minister on election results, reasons behind the PTI’s defeat, the lawmakers who did not support the party during the polls, allocation of party tickets for the elections and other issues incurred.

PM Imran Khan will give the chief minister guidelines to devise an effective strategy for the next phase of the local body elections in the province, which is to take place next month, the sources added.

 The premier, who is not happy with the PTI’s performance in KP, had summoned CM Khan in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office received a report citing reasons for the PTI’s loss in the local body polls in KP. The report said that merit had been ignored while allocating tickets for the election. The tickets had been issued to the relatives of the governor, ministers and the lawmakers of the PTI, read the report.

The report said that PTI MPA in Lakki Marwat Dr Hasham Inamullah  had been ignored while allocating the tickets. Resultantly, Inamullah extended his support to the four candidates fielded by the Saifullah brothers who went on to win the local body elections, read the report.

In addition, the two candidates backed by MNA Fazal Muhammad Khan lost the elections in Charsadda. The report noted that had the two candidates one, they would have worked in accordance with the wishes of the MNA.

The local leadership ignored a competent worker of PTI, Shafi Jan, and gave a ticket to Shehryar Khan Afridi-backed candidate Salman Khan, the report further observed. Shafi Jan contested the election as an independent candidate and bagged more votes than the PTI candidate in the constituency. Shafi Jan bagged 26,793 votes while the Afridi-backed candidate received 15,219 votes.

Similarly, the KP Governor Shah Farman-backed candidate lost elections for the coveted post of Peshawar mayor. Tickets were given to KP Deputy Speaker Mehmood Jan’s brother and provincial Education Minister Shahram Tarakai’s relatives who lost the elections, the report said.

A day earlier, KP CM  Mahmood Khan had decided to investigate the PTI's defeat in the first phase of local body elections in the province, well-placed sources had told Geo News.

Strict action will be taken against those found involved in violation of the party discipline, the sources had said, adding that CM Mahmood will soon meet with Prime Minister Imran Khan in this regard.