October 12, 2002	Saturday	Sha'aban 5, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

KOHAT, Oct 11: Mufti Abrar of Muttahida Majlis-i-Ammal, won the NA-14 seat by a huge margin defeating the former law minister Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani of PML-Q.

The MMA candidate, a youngster, got record 46,027 votes, whereas, Gilani polled 14,231 votes. The former MNA Javed Ibraheem Paracha of PML-N could get only 2,693, according to details obtained from the local deputy election commissioner office.

In the three provincial assembly constituencies of PF-37 and PF-38 ANP won both the seats defeating the PML-Q and PPP-S candidates by a narrow margin. The third seat of PF-39 went to PPP-S’s Khanzada Shad Mohammad Khan, a former provincial minister.

The turnout in the national assembly polls remained 30.10 per cent which was the lowest as compared to the last four elections. Amongst 317,082 registered votes only 95,469 cast their votes.

The polling at a number of stations in Gumbat had to be stopped for one hour after allegations from the poling agents of MMA of bogus votes by an ANP candidate.

However, the matter was resolved amicably.

The Al Qaeda factor in the district during which more than 350 foreigners were arrested and sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and four were killed in a police encounter in Kohat, played a key role in helping MMA win the national assembly seat.

Nawabzada Mohabat Ali Zafar, a former provincial minister and Barrister Syed Masood Kausar, a former PPP senator and NWFP assembly speaker lost to newcomers.