JUI-F emerges as second largest party in KP

PESHAWAR: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has emerged as the second largest political party in the May 30 local government elections for the district and tehsil councils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party claims to form governments in most of the southern districts.
According to unofficial results of 640 district councils, the JUI-F has secured 93 seats. In 518 district councils, unofficial result of tehsil and town councils showed that JUI-F has bagged 75 seats across the province majority of which belong to southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“We are in the position to manage district council in Bannu, Tank, Hangu and Karak with the support of our allies as the JUI-F has remained in the leading position both at district and tehsil level in these districts,” JUI-F provincial Information Secretary Abdul Jalil Jan told The News.
He claimed the party would have secured more seats across the province had the elections been held in free and fair manners. He added the provincial ministers, police and district administration had played a negative role in the local government elections.
Abdul Jalil Jan said that all the parties were bound to support the leading ally in the formation of district and tehsil level setups. He said the workers of the alliance cooperated with their joint candidates at district and tehsil council levels.
“If the provincial government does not buy the loyalty and sympathy of the independent candidates, the ruling PTI will not be in the position to form its governments in any of the district of the province,” the JUI-F leader claimed.
Being the stronghold of JUI-F, the party lost its popularity in last by- elections in Tank, Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan. However, the LG poll results showed that the party had regained its strength in these districts.
In the Bannu district, the JUI-F emerged as the single largest political entity securing majority of district and tehsil council seats where it can form district government without the support of any political party.
Similarly, the party can form its government in Tank, Hangu, Chitral and Dera Ismail Khan with the support of its allies i.e. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) and some independents.
As per unofficial results, the JUI-F was in lead at district and tehsil council level in Bannu with 18 district seats, Hangu seven district seats, Tank five district seats, Karak four district seats, Lakki Marwat six districts and Chitral with five district seats while party has also secured district and tehsil council seats in Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bunir, Battagram, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Mansehra and Charsadda districts.
The JUI-F had formed an alliance with ANP and PPP to contest the local government elections in the province. Barkatullah Marwat adds from Lakki Marwat: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) swept the local government election by clinching 18 seats in total 33 union councils of the district.
According to unofficial results, the candidates of the JUI-F obtained 18 seats, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secured five, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) got six and independents got three seats.
Likewise, at the tehsil level, JUI-F obtained 10 seats out of 33 union councils while PTI and PPP and independent candidates secured 24 seats.
Most of the candidates allegedly violated the code of conduct for the LG polls. Reports said that the supporters took away ballot boxes from the female polling booth in the Government Primary School in Serai Naurang.
The angry mob in Zangikhel village allegedly burnt the ballot boxes of the female polling booth after the exchange of harsh works between the supporters of rival candidates. An official of the district administration told The News that women were not allowed to exercise the right to franchise in some of the villages including Paharkhel, Walai Sagai, Gaoraka Shah Hussain, Dalasa Shah Hussain, Mirzad Khankhel and some other villages.
He added that one of the candidates allegedly distributed ‘money’ among the voters in Ahmedkhel Union Council and it was reported that he paid Rs8,000 for each vote for the district councillor election from his union council.
The neck-and-neck contest was between the PTI candidate Mansoor Kamal Khan, son of late Anwar Kamal Khan Marwat, and JUI-F Dr Sarfaraz Khan, son of Dr Khalid Latif in Lakki town-II where the latter won the poll.
Our correspondent in Chitral adds: The alliance of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-i_Islam-Fazl (JUI) did well both in the district and tehsil councils while Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) suffered a setback in the local government elections.
Although, PPP had two sitting MPAs in the district, the party could win only three seats in the district PTI won five seats. JI and JUI-F alliance won 13 seats out of 24 while it got 10 seats in tehsil council Chitral out of 14 seats.
JUI-F candidate Maulana Jamshed Ahmad won the seat of Chitral-1 while Maulana Abdur Rehman and Maulana Inamul Haq of the JUI-F won from Koh and Ashrait union councils, respectively.
Maulana Mahmoodul Hassan and Qazi Fathullah won from Drosh-1 and Bruz UCs, respectively, while Attaur Rehman won from Terich UC. Similarly, JUI’s Riaz Ahmad Dewanbaigi and JI’s Maghfirat Shah succeeded from Chitral-2 and Chitral-3.
Maulana Imadul Haq and Maulana Javed emerged victorious from Ayun and Morkhow UCs. JI’s Akbar Shah won from Shagram. PTI’s Rehmat Ghazi and Zulfi Hunar Shah succeeded from Charon and Laspur, respectively. Abdul Latif, Muhammad Yaqub and Ghulam Mustafa won from Oveer, Karimabad and Kosht, respectively. Shahzada Parvez All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) also won the election.