The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has faced a setback in the local government elections held in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with the candidates of the opposition parties managing to defeat the ruling party nominees in most areas, including the provincial capital.
The local bodies elections were held for the first time after the merger of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into the province in 2017.
The elections were held in 17 districts, comprising 64 tehsils, on a party-basis as per the ruling of the courts. Out of 64 tehsils, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman was leading on 18 tehsil chairperson seats, whereas the PTI is trailing behind with 14 seats.
The Awami National Party (ANP) also managed to win nine seats. Independent candidates have bagged nine tehsil chairperson seats as well, the results suggested.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islehat managed to grab two seats each.
The PTI also lost the Peshawar mayor seat to the JUI-F with a wide margin. JUI-F’s Zubair Ali secured 63,388 votes whereas PTI’s Rizwan Bangash secured 50,659 votes.
Out of seven tehsils in Peshawar, the PTI could only win one seat, while the JUI-F and ANP grabbed three and two seats, respectively.
In Mardan, the PTI was wiped out; the JUI-F secured victory in three tehsils and the ANP came in first in two tehsils.
In Bannu, the PTI candidate is in the lead on the mayoral seat. It has also secured the tehsil chairperson slots in Buner, Kagara, Daggar, Gambat and Rustam.
In Charsada, JUI-F’s Hamza Asif secured over 33,000 votes to win the tehsil chairperson slot in Shabqadar. In Tank, the JUI-F secured a win in both tehsils.
In Lakki Marwat’s tehsil Nowrang, JI candidate Haji Aziz got over 17,000 votes to secure the seat for his party.
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that his party was the “biggest political power” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — where local government elections were held a day ago and incoming unofficial results show that his party is leading.
In a big blow to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which has ruled KP since 2013, unofficial results put JUI-F’s Zubair Ali as the winner for the coveted post of provincial capital Peshawar’s mayor.
Moreover, unofficial results from the KP’s 30 tehsils show that JUI-F is leading with 13 seats, followed by PTI (6), PML-N (3), Awami National Party (3), Jamaat-i-Islami (1) and PPP (1), while independent candidates have secured three seats.
“I believe we are leading at the tehsil and union council level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s local government elections,” Fazl said while speaking to the media in Quetta, adding that “time has proved that last elections were rigged.”
“JUI-F was and is the biggest political power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said in response to a question about the local government elections.
However, he went on, “Some forces have been trying to place hurdles in the way of the JUI-F.”
Fazl said these forces were apprehensive about the JUI-F rising to the power as the party was inclined towards religion.
“They fear what will America and the West think,” he said, adding that the US and West had settled matters with the Afghan Taliban. “Why will we be unacceptable to them then?” he asked.
He called for an end to the mentality of stopping a particular party from progressing and claimed that the JUI-F could run Pakistan in a better manner than the incumbent government.
“We know how to run this country. We are honest and by God’s grace, the JUI-F is the only party [in Pakistan] that has not been accused of corruption,” Fazl claimed.
He further stated that it had been proven that corruption allegations were being used as a “tool”.
Warning that trends such as that of levelling corruption allegations would destroy the country’s machinery, he emphasised that the practice of “maligning politicians must end”.
“Because those who create this propaganda against politicians are far more corrupt than politicians,” he remarked.
In reply to a question, Fazl, who is also the head of the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said preparations were under way for protests across the country.
He said he would soon visit Karachi where he would meet other opposition leaders to discuss the strategy for the protest to be held by the PDM on March 23.
