PK-70 Peshawar: PTI’s Shah Farman pitted against ANP’s Khushdil Khan, MMA’s Jan Afzal

PESHAWAR: A close contest is expected among the candidates of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) for the provincial assembly seat PK-70.

The PTI has fielded a strong candidate Shah Farman Khan, who remained the party’s spokesman.

Shah Farman is also trying his luck on the adjacent PK-71 constituency.

He had emerged victorious in the constituency due to the PTI’s wave in 2013 polls. He got a berth in the provincial cabinet and has managed to maintain his popularity.

Being a minister, he carried out a number of development projects in the area and this has given him an edge over his rivals.

He is facing ANP’s Khushdil Khan, who is a former deputy speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Khushdil Khan is popular in the constituency, particularly in Badaber area. He is known for his good dealings with the people. The ANP has a solid vote-bank in the constituency.

Khushdil Khan has undertaken considerable development work in the area. He won the seat in the 2008 general election and was made deputy speaker of the provincial assembly in the PPP-ANP coalition government.

During his tenure as deputy speaker, he served the people of his area.

Nasir Khan, a resident of Badaber village says, “Khushdil Khan is so nice in meeting the people of his constituency. He carried out unprecedented development work in the constituency when he was a minister.” The sympathy vote for the ANP after the suicide attack on the party’s gathering on July 10 in which the party’s provincial information secretary Haroon Bilour was martyred along with 22 workers may increase the chances of success of Khushdil Khan.

The MMA has fielded Jan Afzal, a relatively new candidate. The people in the constituency speak well of him. He represents the Jamaat-e-Islami, which has a solid vote-bank in the area. Having the support of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and other component groups of the five-party religious alliance, Jan Afzal is capable of giving a tough time to the PTI and ANP candidates.

Before deciding to try his luck for the provincial assembly, Jan Afzal was elected councillor from his village Surezai, located near Peshawar city.

Muhammad Shafiq Ameeni of Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan, who had contested the by-election on the then NA-4 Peshawar in 2017 and bagged 9,935 votes, is also contesting for the provincial assembly from PK-.

The other candidates on the seat are Rajmali Khan of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), Niazur Rahman Momand of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and independent candidate Muhammad Daud Khan Burki.