PMLN wins seven seats in KP LG polls

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) won seven seats of tehsil chairmen in the second phase of local government elections as the result of 65 seats was still awaited.

According to unofficial results, the PMLN candidates succeeded in four tehsils of Mansehra district while an independent candidate won the polls with its support. The party grabbed a tehsil mayor seat in Abbottabad and one each tehsil chairman in Shangla and Upper Dir.

Muhammad Zada of the PMLN was declared successful in Kalkot in Upper Dir while Bakht Alam grabbed the Chakisar tehsil seat in Shangla district. PMLN party provincial president Amir Muqam’s son failed to win his seat.

Similarly, Shamoon Yar Khan, the son of former governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, also faced defeat in Abbottabad. However, PMLN emerged victorious in Mansehra where it bagged four tehsil chairmen’s seats despite the fact Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had addressed a public meeting in connection with election campaign a couple of days before the election even in violation of the election code of conduct.

As a whole, the party performance remained unsatisfactory compared to other political parties like the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF). Hazara is considered the stronghold of PMLN but except Mansehra it could not come up to the expectations of the party leadership.

Similarly in Malakand division where PMLN has pockets of supporters, the results are not satisfactory. In the past, the PMLN won the national and provincial assembly seats from Swat, Shangla, Dir, Malakand and Chitral and it still has a solid vote-bank in these districts.

The PMLN provincial spokesman and Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Ikhtiar Wali Khan accused the government of utilizing official machinery and resources. In a statement, he alleged the government not only used official machinery and resources but provided Rs300 million each to the tehsil council candidates of PTI.

He said the LG polls result could not be termed comeback of PTI as it won the polls through government machinery and resources. Ikhtiar Wali said PMLN’s performance was satisfactory in the prevailing political situation, adding the party was expecting more seats as results were still awaited.