Asfandyar Wali won’t contest polls due to poor health

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party President Asfandyar Wali Khan would not contest contest election for being unwell.

Qaumi Watan Party Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has submitted nomination papers for NA-24 Charsadda while his son Sikandar Khan Hayat Sherpao will contest for PK-62 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituency in Charsadda for the general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024.

However, central president of the Awami National Party Asfandyar Wali Khan, who also hails from Charsadda, will not be a candidate in the upcoming polls for his illness while his son, Aimal Wali Khan, the provincial president of the ANP, will contest for NA-25 Charsadda, the native constituency from where his father and grandfather Khan Abdul Wali Khan were elected to the National Assembly in the past.

Seventy-four-year old Asfandyar Wali Khan made his debut in the electoral politics in 1990 when he was elected to then NWFP Assembly from Charsadda on the ANP ticket while in 1993 general elections, he made it to the National Assembly and was re-elected to the National Assembly in 1997 general elections.

In 1999, he was elected as central president of the Pakhtun nationalist party while in 2002 he lost to the Mutahida Majlis Amal candidate in the 2002 general elections.

His father late Khan Abdul Wali Khan had announced retirement from electoral politics after he lost the National Assembly in 1990 general elections to a noted religious scholar and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl candidate Maulana Hasan Jan.

In the year 2003, Asfandyar was elected to Senate for six years while in 2008 general elections, he was elected once again to the National Assembly.

In 2018 general elections, he lost to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate while his son Aimal Wali Khan lost to PTI then chairman Imran Khan in the by-election.

Aimal Wali Khan did not make it to provincial and National Assembly and lost twice to the PTI candidate in general election while last time to former prime minister and then chairman of PTI Imran Khan in the by-election for the same constituency.

Aftab Sherpao and his son Sikandar Hayat Sherpao lost general elections only once in their political careers.

Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao served as chief minister of the province for two times and also served as federal minister for multiple times. In the 1988 general elections, he had secured National Assembly seats from Peshawar and provincial assembly seats from Charsadda. He had opted for NWFP (now KP) seat and was elected as chief minister of the province.

He was elected to National Assembly in 2002, 2008 and 2013 general elections but lost to the PTI candidate in 2018 general elections from his hometown of Charsadda.

Likewise, his politician son, Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, also remained two-time senior minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, lost his provincial assembly seats to the PTI candidate in 2018 general elections he elected to the provincial assembly from his hometown Charsadda while in 2002, 2008 and 2013 general elections. Add reaction