24 leaders from nine major parties contesting NA, PA seats in KP

PESHAWAR: Around 24 leaders representing central and provincial chapters of nine major political parties are set to contest National Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seats across different constituencies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the upcoming February 8 general elections.

Former prime minister and PMLN supremo Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif will run from Mansehra, while former prime minister and PTI chief Imran Khan, who had been elected to the National Assembly several times in 2013 and 2018, did not submit nomination papers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this time. Awami National Party’s central president Asfandyar Wali Khan will not be contesting due to illness.

Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif will face PTI candidate and former provincial minister Shahzada Gustasip on NA-15, Mansehra. PMLN provincial president Amir Muqam will contest for two National Assembly and one provincial assembly seats in Swat and his native town Shangla district.

JUI-F central leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman will contest for NA-44, Dera Ismail Khan and will face PPP’s Faisal Karim Kundi and PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur in the same constituency. In 2018, Ali Amin Gandapur had won elections from the same constituency, while PPP’s Faisal Karim Kundi was also elected to the National Assembly from the same constituency in the past.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has awarded tickets to central chairman Barrister Gohar Ali for NA-10, Buner, central general secretary Umar Ayub Khan for NA-18, Haripur, former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar Khan for NA-19, Swabi, and Sher Afzal Marwat for NA-41, Lakki Marwat.

Awami National Party’s central senior vice-president and former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti will contest for NA-22, Mardan; ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain for PK-89, Nowshera, and senior leader Ghulam Ahmad Bilour for NA-32, Peshawar. Provincial president of ANP Aimal Wali Khan will contest for NA-25, Charssadda, while provincial general secretary of the party Sardar Hussain Babak for PK-27 Buner.

Pakistan People’s Party has awarded tickets to its provincial president Najmuddin Khan for NA-5, Upper Dir, Awnar Saifullah Khan for NA-43, Tank, and Faisal Karim Kundi for NA-44, D I Khan.

Jamaat-e-Islami central amir and former senator Sirajul Haq will contest election for the National Assembly from his native town Dir, while provincial amir of the party Prof Ibrahim will contest for PK-102 Bannu, and former senior provincial minister Inayatullah Khan for PK-13, Upper Dir.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Parliamentarian central chairman and former chief minister Pervez Khan Khattak will contest for NA-33 and PK-88 from his native district Nowshera, where he had been elected to the National Assembly and Provincial Assembly on the PTI tickets for two times. Similarly, former chief minister and central vice president of the PTIP Mehmood Khan will contest for two National Assembly and one provincial assembly seats from Swat.

Qaumi Watan Party central chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao will contest for NA-24, Charsadda, and his son and provincial president of QWP Sikandar Khan Sherpao will contest for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from Charssadda. Sikandar Sherpao had been elected to the Provincial Assembly for three times but lost to a PTI candidate in 2018 the general polls.

Central president of National Democratic Movement (NDM) Mohsin Dawar will contest for NA-40, North Waziristan, Dawar’s vehicle and convoy were attacked twice recently in Tapi area of North Waziristan during his election campaign. In the 2018 general elections, he had been elected to the National Assembly as an independent candidate but he was part of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) at that time and later he formed his own political party National Democratic Movement.