Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, at this stage, is at number three according to an initial vote count in NA-7 Charsadda as Maulana Gohar Shah of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), who had defeated Asfandyar in 2002 elections as well with a clear margin of around 30000 votes, is on top while Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Fazl Muhammad Khan is currently on number two.

The ANP chief had won this seat easily in 2008. However, there was no JUI-F candidate fielded against him in the last elections. The JUI-F also has a history of defeating political heavy weight Khan Abdul Wali Khan on this seat as Maulana Hassan Jan had won it in 1990 with a huge margin of 14000 votes.

Also an interesting factor is that the ANP had only won this seat when there was no religious party candidate contesting against it. In 1998, Khan Abdul Wali Khan had won with a huge margin against Ihsanulalh of IJI while in 1993 Asfandyar Wali Khan had won with a meagre margin of less than 1000 votes against Major Mukhtar of PPP.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...
Water vision
01 May, 2026

Water vision

WATER insecurity in Pakistan has been building up for decades as per capita water availability has declined from...
Vaccine policy
01 May, 2026

Vaccine policy

PAKISTAN has finally approved its first National Vaccine Policy; a step the health ministry has rightly described as...
Labour rights
Updated 01 May, 2026

Labour rights

THE annual observance of May Day should move beyond statements about the state’s commitment to the rights of...