ANP fields six candidates for by-polls scheduled on Oct 14

PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) has fielded six candidates, including widow of Haroon Bilour, the martyred leader of the party, on the provincial assembly seats in the by-election.

Samar Haroon would contest election for PK-78.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed election on PK-78 after the ANP leader was martyred in a suicide attack on his corner meeting along with other party workers in Yakatoot locality in Peshawar city.

The ECP has issued schedule for the by-election slated for October 14.

The ANP has awarded ticket to Waqar Ahmad Khan for the by-election on PK-7 in Swat. He had contested the general election on the same seat and secured 13,681 votes while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the seat by securing 19,461 votes.

Amjad Ali won two seats that included PK-6 and PK-7. He retained PK-6 and vacated PK-7.

The party has awarded ticket to Ghulam Hassan on PK-44 in Swabi. ANP had fielded Gul Zamin Shah on PK-44 in the general election who secured 20,959 votes.

Asad Qaiser of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the seat after receiving 31,912 votes. Asad Qaiser has been elected as speaker of the National Assembly after he quit the provincial assembly seat.

Gul Zamin Shah has reportedly refused to contest election in the by-polls.

Ahmad Khan Bahadur would run for PK-53 as the ANP provincial president Ameer Haider Hoti, who won both the national and provincial assembly seats, decided to retain the National Assembly seat.

Ahmad Khan Bahadur had not contested election in the 2013 general election and was elected to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in the by-election.

Pervez Ahmad Khan, who was runner-up on PK-61 in the general election, would try his luck in the by-election. The seat was won by the former chief minister Pervez Khattak who had secured 20,676 votes.

Another ANP candidate Muhammad Shahid Khattak would also try his luck again on PK-63 from where PTI candidate Jamsheduddin had emerged victorious.

Jamsheduddin secured 24,832 votes while the ANP candidate polled 9,403 votes.

Meanwhile, ANP central vice-president Ghulam Ahmad Bilour on Tuesday thanked Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for not fielding candidate against Samar Haroon.

In a statement, he said he had received a message from Farhatullah Babar that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari had decided not to field the PPP candidate on PK-78 against Samar Haroon.

The statement quoting Ghulam Bilour said that Haroon Bilour and his associates laid down lives for the cause of democracy and the PPP’s decision was aimed at upholding democratic traditions.

He urged other political parties to withdraw their candidates running for PK-78 in a bid to uphold moral and political values.