ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf edged out rival parties to secure first place during the local body elections in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts.

According to unofficial results, the Imran Khan-led party secured 22 of the 51 district council seats in Abbottabad.

It was followed by PML-N with 20 seats, independents with eight and Jamaat-i-Islami one.

Noted among winning PTI candidates are Ali Khan Jadoon, Iqbal Khan, Shaukat Tanoli, Malik Safdar, Azizur Rehman, Aurangzeb Khan, Babu Khushal, Sardar Saeed Anwar, Babu Muhammad Iqbal, Aurangzeb Khan, Sajjad Khan, Faisal Khan, Sardar Malik Muhammad Maroof, Javed Khan, Ghazanfar Ali Abbasi, Zaheer Abbasi, Colonel (r) Shabbir, Nazeer Abbasi, Sardar Waqar Nabi, Chaudhry Jahangir, Sajid Abbasi and Sajjad.

Successful PML-N candidates are Mohammad Naheed Awan, Nadeem Mughal, Shoukat Haroon, Sardar Shamoon Yar Khan, Qazi Abid Suhrab, Haji Saddique, Haji Javed, Sardar Rustam, Khalid Nawaz Abbasi, Haji Mazhar, Iftikhar Abbasi, Anees Abbasi, Tahir Abbasi, Sardar Salem, Gulzar Khan, Fazal-e-Raheem, Haji Pervez, Amjad Ali, Irhsad Khan and Faisal Khan.

The lone winning JI candidate is Sardar Fakhar Alam, who won election from Malikpura, where he defeated PTI candidate by a big margin.

Noted among independent candidates, who won elections, are Sardar Sher Bahadar, who was PTI district president and was not given ticket, and Waseem Khan Jadoon, who was the president of PPP youth wing.

Other winning independent candidates are Kamran Gul Advocate, Shah Nawaz Tanoli, Sardar Gohar Zaman, Sardar Hukam Dad, Asif Awan and Sardar Fayaz, who was supported by PTI MPA Sardar Mohammad Idress against the PTI nominee in Nathiagali.

Losers allege rigging in LG elections

Though election results of three polling stations in Sarbanha union council has been stopped, the PTI candidate appeared to be in the lead. His positions is likely to be unchanged even if he lost elections in the three polling stations in question.

Many candidates approached returning officers and district returning officer with complaints of alleged cheating and bogus voting by rival candidates.

In Kohat, PTI won 11 seats, JUI-F four, independents 13 and PML-N, ANP, PPP and JI one each in 32 union councils of Kohat district.

The announcement of unofficial election results was delayed due to the disappearance of ballot boxes and suspension of polling at various stations. The Kohat election commission said fresh polling would be held at the affected polling stations for which a date would be announced later.

Provincial law minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi declared the PTI victory an ample proof of its popularity among local population and said if anybody proved that a single bogus vote was polled in the elections, he would quit as MPA.

He said amongst the independents, many were PTI supporters and that they would make join PTI shortly.

In Batkhela, a Malakand protected area, PTI won nine seats, PPP eight, independents six, JUI-F two and one each by ANP and JI.

PPP provincial general secretary Humayun Khan rejected the local government election results and demanded re-polling under the judiciary.

He alleged that the ruling PTI had rigged elections and stopped PPP workers from casting votes.

Humayun also claimed presiding officers stamped ballot papers in favour of PTI candidates.

In DI Khan district, PTI has edged out other parties in local body elections by securing 14 district council seats, followed by JUI-F and independents six each, PPP three and JI one, while in Tank district, PTI won six district council seats, JUI-F five, independents four and PPP one.

In Mansehra, the independents seem to play an important role in formation of district and tehsil governments as according to unofficial results they are leading in the district by grabbing 24 sets, followed by PML-N with 17 and PTI with 13.

However, PTI is likely to form the district government in Mansehra with the help of independents. “We are going to install our government in the district and two tehsils as our allies and we have secured 35 seats,” said Senator Azam Khan Swati of PTI told journalists.

PTI is also likely to install its district government in Battagram as it is the only majority party in the district, having 10 councillors of 20 wards/union councils.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play