PTI forms local govts in nine KP districts

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the largest political party in the local government (LG) elections by clinching nine positions of district Nazims as the process was completed in 23 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Sunday.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) formed the government in five districts, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in four, Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in two each, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in one district.
The newly-elected Nazims and Naib Nazims were administered oath by their respective returning officers.
In Peshawar, where the PTI was enjoying an overwhelming majority in the district council, some differences were seen over the office of the district Nazim. However, at the eleventh hour, PTI leader Younas Zaheer withdrew his candidature in favour of Arbab Muhammad Asim of his own party, enabling him to get elected district Nazim unopposed.
PML-N candidate Rahamdil Nawaz also withdrew his nomination papers for the district Nazim, leaving Arbab Asim as the lone candidate for the district Nazim.
The PTI also got its candidates elected in three out of four towns of the provincial metropolis. They included Zahid Nadeem, Nazim Town-I and Shoaib Bangash, Naib Nazim. Faridullah and Muhammad Israfil were elected Nazim and Naib Nazim of the Town-II. Muhammad Ali Arbab and Wahab Khalil were elected Nazim and Naib Nazim of Town-III. In the Town-IV, Haroon Sifat of PML-N was elected Nazim and JUI-F’s Arbab Kamal of the three-party alliance — ANP, PPP, JUI-F — Naib Nazim.
Strict security measures had been adopted across the province for the district government polls. The situation largely remained peaceful.
ABBOTTABAD: The PML-N supported the PTI’s disgruntled candidates for the offices of district Nazim and Naib Nazim to inflict a major setback to the ruling PTI.
Former district president of PTI Abbottabad Sardar Sher Bahadur and another former loyalist of the party Shaukat Tanoli were elected district Nazim and Naib Nazim.
They defeated Ali Khan Jadoon, son of former federal minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon, and Sardar Waqar Nabi, son of former provincial minister Sardar Ghulam Nabi, both nominees of the PTI for the posts of chairman and vice chairman, respectively.
UPPER DIR: JI’s district president Sahibzada Fasihullah was elected District Nazim and his party colleague Hanifullah Naib Nazim unopposed. The JI was enjoying an overwhelming majority in the district council. No other candidate submitted nomination papers.
TANK: The PTI-nominated candidates Mustafa Kundi and Aftab Ahmad were elected district Nazim and Naib Nazim.
CHARSADDA: PTI candidate Fahad Riaz Khan was elected Nazim for the district council while Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) candidate Musawwar Shah was elected Naib Nazim. The PTI-JI-QWP alliance defeated the PTI and its allies in the polls.
MALAKAND: PPP candidate Syed Ahmed Ali Shah Bacha was elected Nazim of the district council while Awami National Party (ANP) candidate Col (retd) Ibrar Hussain Yousafzai was elected Naib Nazim.
Meanwhile, JUI-F district president Maulana Hamidullah Roghani cancelled the party membership of his party’s elected tehsil Nazim and three councilors for supporting the PTI candidate in the district council polls. He asked the election commissioner to cancel their election.
BUNER: JI candidate Dr Obaidullah and ANP’s Yousaf Ali were elected district Nazim and Naib Nazim respectively. The two parties had formed an unlikely alliance in the district.
CHITRAL: JI candidate Maghfirat Shah was elected district Nazim while JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Shakoor was elected Naib Nazim. The two religio-political parties had entered into an alliance to defeat the other parties. Some councilors of the PPP voted in favour of the JI candidate. Maghfirat Shah had served as district Nazim in the past as well.
HANGU: The JUI-F candidate Mufti Obaidullah and independent Said Umar were elected district Nazim and Naib Nazim, defeating the PTI nominees.
LAKKI MARWAT: PPP’s Ashfaq Khan and PTI candidate Arab Khan, backed by the influential Saifullah family, were elected district Nazim and Naib Nazim. They inflicted a shocking defeat on the JUI-F.
TIMERGARA: Muhammad Rasool Khan and Abdur Rashid Khan of the JI were elected Nazim and Naib Nazim of Lower Dir. The PTI and PML-N also supported the JI nominees.
MANSEHRA: The PML-N candidate, Said Ghulam, was elected the district Nazim while Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) candidate Ghulam Murtaza was elected Naib Nazim. The two parties had formed an alliance in the district to keep the PTI at bay.
KOHAT: JUI-F candidate Niaz Mohammad was elected district Nazim with the support of PML-N. The PML-N’s Rasheed Khan was elected district Naib Nazim unopposed.
SHANGLA: The PML-N nominee, Niaz Ahmed Khan, was elected Nazim while Kamran Khan was elected Naib Nazim in Shangla. Niaz Ahmad Khan, son of PML-N leader Amir Muqam, secured 23 votes while his rival candidate Sadidur Rehman of the ANP got 21 votes.
MARDAN: The ANP-PPP-JUI-F alliance nominated candidate Himayatullah Mayar, who belongs to the ANP, was elected Nazim and PPP candidate Asad Ali Kashmiri was elected Naib Nazim.
Himayatullah Mayar had served as Mardan district Nazim in the past as well. He also remained an MNA.
The PTI and JI members boycotted the district election. Activists of both the parties staged a protest outside the Pakhtunkhwa House and blocked the road for several hours.
SWABI: ANP’s Ameer Rahman and Ansar Khan of JUI-F were elected Nazim and Naib Nazim respectively in the election.
Ameer Rahman is the son of the late ANP leader Rahmanullah Khan. He is also a former MPA from Swabi.
TORGHAR: In Torghar, the PTI constituted its district government after three councilors of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl voted for its candidates.
NOWSHERA: PTI candidate Liaqat Khattak, brother of KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, was elected district Nazim and his party colleague Ashfaq Khan district Naib Nazim. The Awami National Party (ANP)’s Khushal Khan had submitted the nomination papers for district Nazim.
BATTAGRAM: PTI’s Attaur Rehman and Faheem Akbar were elected Nazim and Naib Nazim for the district council.
KARAK: The PTI won the district council election with the victory of its candidate Dr Omar as the Nazim. He is the brother of MPA Gul Sahib Khan, who was recently expelled from the PTI on charges of indiscipline.
HARIPUR: PTI nominees Adil Islam and Agha Shabbir were elected Nazim and Naib Nazim for the district council.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: PTI candidate Azizullah Alizai was elected Nazim and Ismail Baloch Naib Nazim for the district council.
BANNU: PPP candidate Malik Fidaullah Wazir was elected Nazim and Nek Darali Naib Nazim for the tehsil council of Domail while the election for the district council could not be conducted as the JUI-F’s federal minister Akram Khan Durrani moved the local court against the three independent members-elect Jaffar Khan, Ali Farhan and another one who had first joined the JUI-F but later wanted to join the PTI. Akram Durrani asked the court to cancel their elections. The court would decide the case today.