UPPER DIR/TIMERGARA: The ruling Jamaat-i-Islami has won majority seats in both Upper and Lower Dir districts in the local government elections, according to unofficial results.

In Upper Dir, JI bagged 22 out of 32 seats of the district council. It won the Dir urban district seat for the first time as its candidate Sahibzada Waliullah defeated former federal minister Najamuddin Khan’s son Arifullah Khan, joint candidate of PPP, ANP, JUI-F and PML-N.

JI also won seats in Qulandi, Ganori, Barikot, Bibyawar, Patrak,Tarptar, and Deslawar union councils in the district for the first time. However, it lost a seat in its stronghold Kotkey area where PPP candidate Sahibzada Sanaullah defeated his cousin Sahibzada Sibghatullah of JI.

In Dir tehsil, JI won six out of 13 general seats while PPP bagged two seats in the tehsil. PML-N won three while PTII and JUI-F bagged one seat each in Dir tehsil.

In Brawal tehsil, JI got four seats out of the five while PPP won one seat in Darikand ward of the tehsil. In Wari tehsil, JI won five seats out of nine seats.

Besides an independent candidate, ANP, PML-N and PTI also secured one seat each in Wari tehsil.

In Kalkot tehsil , JI won two seats while one seat each was bagged by JUI-F, PPP and an independent candidate out of total five seats. In Lower Dir, JI got simple majority in the local government elections by winning 23 out of the 41 wards.

According to the unofficial results of the elections, JI also bagged 22 seats in seven tehsils of the district.

PTI won five wards, ANP six wards and PPP four wards while PML-N and QWP won one ward each. An independent remained also won a district council seat.

Similarly, JI won 21 out of 41 tehsil seats, ANP got six seats, PTI seven and PPP while PML-N and QWP got two seats each. Two independent candidates also remained successful in the elections for thesil council. In the elections for village councils, JI won majority of general and reserved seats for workers, peasant and women in Dir Lower.

The unofficial results show that JI is in a position to form district and tehsil governments in the district. On the other hand, PTI won five district council and seven tehsil council seats in the district.

In Kotigram ward of Adenzai tehsil, PTI candidate Hawa Khan defeated brother of JUI-F provincial chief Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan.

PPP is faced with a difficult situation as it has won only four district council seats and one tehsil council seat in the district.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015

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