KOHAT: Strongly criticising Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and its two lawmakers from Kohat, local leaders of opposition parties have said that the slogan of change has been exposed in the massively rigged local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing a rally near Shah Faisal Gate, Kohat, on Thursday, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam district general secretary Jameel Ahmed, Awami National Party district general secretary Masood Khan Khalil and Ibrahim Ayub of PML-N said that mismanagement and massive rigging in the LG elections had exposed Imran Khan and his team.

They criticised MPA Ziaullah Bangash and claimed that a person who was a gardener in Kohat Development Authority in 2000 had suddenly become owner of millions of rupees. They alleged that the lawmaker had misappropriated over Rs1.2 billion during last two years.

Mr Jameel demanded fresh elections in the province under the supervision of army. He said that Mr Khan himself was sitting in glass room and making blunt accusations against the JUI-F and PML-N.

JUI-F, ANP leaders say ‘massive rigging’ has exposed Imran’s slogan of change

Now he has to reap what he had sowed last year in front of the parliament house, he said.

Mr Khalil alleged that politics of briefcases had returned and PTI was busy in purchasing the winning councillors.

Meanwhile, ANP district president Javed Khattak and representatives of some other political parties have alleged that PTI has assembled independent winners of district council seats at some undisclosed place to buy their loyalties.

They also claimed at their public meetings that the independent winners had not been seen in their respective villages for the last couple of days. It is compulsory for the independent winners to join any political party by June 15.

Source said that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had asked party’s district secretary general to form an ‘alliance’ with the Afridi brothers for the formation of the district government.

Of them, former senator Abbas Afridi is associated with PML-N, while his brother Amjid Afridi is from PTI and adviser to the chief minister.

However, sources said that Mr Amjid was adamant to get his son, Barbar Azeem (independent) elected as district nazim and JUI-F’s Shahid Mahmood as tehsil nazim.

But in reality it could not happen because Imran Khan had cleared before the LG polls that no office-bearer of his party should field his relatives in the elections otherwise he would be disqualified.

The sources said that a large number of winners during a meeting at the residence of councillor-elect Mahtabul Hassan had announced support to Babar Azeem. It has been learnt that former district nazim from JUI-F, Seth Gohar Siafullah, has refused to extend support to Afridi’s son.

Reliable sources said that former tehsil nazim, Dilbar Khan, had contested elections on the request of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and he could also emerge as a strong candidate for district nazim.

For the seat of tehsil nazim, Dr Zulfiqar, son of former chief justice of Peshawar High Court Syed Ibne Ali, and Pir Adil Shah are said to be the frontrunners.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2015

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