NOWSHERA: The leaders and activists of different political parties thronged the district courts to submit nomination papers for general elections scheduled to be held on July 25, 2018.

The district has two seats of National Assembly and five seats of provincial assembly. However, differences have surfaced in parties over distribution of tickets, especially in Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party and Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal.

The dissident leaders of different parties have vowed to contest the polls as independent candidates. “The purpose of contesting elections as independent candidates is to defeat our party candidates instead of winning elections,” said a candidate, who had come to the court to submit papers.

Candidates throng district courts to submit papers for elections

JUI-S provincial chief Hamidul Haq Haqqabi also got nomination papers for PK-61, PK-62 and NA-25 constituencies. For chief minister Pervez Khattak also intends to submit papers for these constituencies. The alliance between JUI-S and PTI will be of no use if Pervez Khattak and Hamidul Haq contest election against each other.

Similarly, chief of her own faction of PTI Ayesha Gulalai also submitted nomination papers for NA-25 to contest elections against Pervez Kahttak. She said that she decided to contest elections from Nowshera against Pervez Khattak to expose him to people.

She said that she was contesting elections four National Assembly seats from Nowshera against Pervez Khattak, from Rawalpindi against Imran Khan, from Lodhran against Jehangir Tareen’s son and also from Sindh.

Ms Gulalai said that she was yet to meet Reham Khan, the former wife of Imran Khan, as she was engaged in launching her political party.

On other hand, PTI faces internal wrangling as Pervez Khattak has decided to contest elections for three seats. His two sons -- Ishaq Khattak and Ismail Khattak -- have also obtained nomination papers as covering candidates for NA-25 and PK-61 in Nowshera.

At least five activists of PTI have also obtained nomination papers to contest elections against Dr Imran Khattak as independent candidates if he is again awarded ticket for NA-26.

PPP leader Razza Syed Babar, a candidate for PK-63, said that he had given 48 hours to party leadership to review distribution of tickets otherwise he would contest the polls independently.

He said that Babar family of Pir Piai would resign from PPP if ticket was not awarded to it. “My humble request to party high-ups is to review distribution of tickets as loyal and ideological workers have been ignored,” he added.

The son of former federal minister and PPP leader Mian Muzzafar Shah, Barrister Mian Sarwar Shah, has also submitted papers as independent candidate for PK-63. On other hand, MMA also faces rift over distribution of tickets in the district. Jamaat-i-Islami has announced Qazi Luqman as its candidate for NA-25, Shahid Hussain for NA-26, Inayatur Rehman for PK-61, Rehmat Ghani for PK-62, Zahid Gilani for PK-63, Haneef Khan for PK-64 and Jawad Nabi Seena for PK-65.

JUI-F, another member party of MMA, has also nominated its candidates for these constituencies including Zulfiqar Bacha for NA-25, Mian Zahoor Kakakhel for NA-26, Hakim Ali for PK-61, Qurban Khan for PK-63, Zahoor Kakakhel for PK-64 and Eng Tariq Khattak for PK-65.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2018