PK-23 re-polling: PPP announces support to PTI

BISHAM: The Shangla chapter of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Tuesday announced support to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Shaukat Ali Yousafzai in the re-polling for PK-23.

President PPP Malakand division and former lawmaker Dr Afasarul Mulk announced his party support to Shaukat Yousafzai at a gathering at his hujra or male guest house. PTI leader Shaukat Yousafzai and others were present on the occasion.

Dr Afasarul Mulk said that the PPP would support the PTI candidate and former provincial health minister in the re-polling as it believed it was in the best interest of people of Shangla district.

He said he had presented two options to PPP workers that either he (Mulk) would contest the election or announce support to the PTI candidate in re-election on the seat. He said a majority of party workers were in favour of entering into an alliance with the PTI.

Shaukat Yousafzai thanked the PPP for extending support to him in the re-polling and vowed to work and solve the problems of his native district. He had won the seat in the July 25 election but the Election Commission nullified the polls as the female votes polled in the constituency was less than 10 percent.

According to the election rules, re-polling shall be held in a constituency if the ratio of female votes cast in the election was less than 10 percent. The re-polling on the seat would be held on September 10 next.

The contest would be between Shaukat Yousafzai and Muhammad Rishad Khan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The Army would supervise the re-polls. Meanwhile, none of the two candidates has printed any posters or panaflexes or other election material for the re-polling.

Surprisingly, the candidates were also not running any kind of election campaign to muster support for themselves as well. A total of 135 polling stations would be set up for the re-polling. The male registered voters are 113,827 and female 86,698.