ABBOTTABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidates Ali Khan Jadoon and Sardar Waqar Nabi were elected nazim and naib nazim, respectively, of the Abbottabad district council by defeating PML-N candidates in the election held for the two seats at Jalal Baba Auditorium here on Thursday.

The PTI candidates secured 45 votes each in the house of 77 councillors, while their rival candidates Sadiq Qureshi and Nahid Awan of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz got 31 votes each. One councillor didn’t participate in the council session.

Ali Jadoon is the youngest son of former federal minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon. Jadoon family has been dominating the politics of Abbottabad district along with rival family of Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan of PML-N.

The two get 45 votes each against PML-N candidates’ 31

PTI’s newly-elected naib nazim Waqar Nabi also belongs to a political family and is the eldest son of former provincial minister late Sardar Ghulam Nabi Khan. Both the PTI nominees had earlier lost in the first leg of the local bodies elections three years ago.

Sardar Sher Bahadar was then elected nazim with the support of PML-N members and some of the members elected on reserved seats. However, three members of PTI were de-seated under defection clause and a long legal battle ended in favour of PTI challengers. This time, the PTI nominees won the two top slots in the district council. PTI also enjoyed the support of JI and PPP.

Assistant commissioner, Abbottabad, Rohan Barhana conducted the scrutiny of nomination papers of the contestants. Later, deputy commissioner Aurangzeb Khan administered oath to the elected nazim and naib nazim. The PTI members and their supporters celebrated the victory at the residence of Amanullah Jadoon. PTI ministers Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, Qalandar Khan Lodhi and MNA Azhar Khan Jadoon were also present on the occasion.

Talking to mediapersons at his residence, Ali Jadoon said that they would make every effort to redress people’s problems. He said that during suspension and case trial, the development funds of over Rs1.2 billion could not be spent.

He said that now development schemes would be launched in the district without any discrimination. Mr Jadoon claimed that PTI believed in fair distribution of funds.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2018