PESHAWAR: Quite a few constituencies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, where former chief ministers, speakers and ministers are trying their luck to make way to the provincial legislature, are up for interesting competition during the general elections being held on Wednesday (today).

Former chief minister Pervez Khattak is contesting polls for two provincial assembly seats; PK-61 and PK-64, respectively. Pervez Khattak is also candidate of PTI for NA-25.

ANP provincial president and former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti apart from National Assembly seat is also candidate for PK-53 Mardan.

Three former speakers and widow of fourth also trying luck

Mr Hoti had won both the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats in 2013 elections. He retained the National Assembly seat and vacated the provincial assembly seat.

Another former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani is also contesting for provincial assembly seat PK-90, Bannu. He is contesting against PTI chairman Imran Khan as a candidate of Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal for NA-35.

Mr Durrani had served as chief executive of the province from 2002to 2007. He was federal minister for housing in the PML-N and JUI-F coalition government in the centre. He survived two attacks on his life during electioneering.

Three former speakers of the provincial assembly are also contesting polls from different constituencies. Former speaker Asad Qaisar of PTI is trying his luck on National Assembly and provincial assembly seats from Swabi. He had won National Assembly and provincial assembly seats in the 2013 elections.

Former speaker Kiramatullah Khan Chagharmati is contesting for the provincial assembly seat from Peshawar. An old Jiyala of PPP, he had served as speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from 2008 to 2013. He had lost elections against PTI’s Mehmood Jan in 2013.

Bakhat Jehan, who had served as speaker of provincial assembly during the MMA government, is contesting from his hometown Buner. In another case, the second widow of former speaker Abdul Akbar Khan, PPP stalwart, is also contesting polls from Mardan.

PML-N provincial chief Ameer Muqam is contesting on two seats from Swat and Shangla. Quami Watan Party’s Sikandar Khan Sherpao is also in the race from his hometown Charsadda.

Several new faces are also in the race to become legislatures. ANP has launched Aimal Wali Khan, the son of party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, from Charsadda. ANP has also fielded other new faces including Jamal Khattak from Nowshera, Ayaz Shoaib Khan from Swabi and Qasim Ali Khan from Charsadda.

Former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani has introduced his son Zahid Durrani on provincial assembly seat from Bannu. Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s younger brother Maulana Lutfur Rehman is contesting for PK-98 from Dera Ismail Khan.

Several former provincial ministers and senior lawmakers are contesting elections on the provincial assembly seats. Prominent among them are former deputy speaker Khushdil Khan of ANP, Syed Zahir Ali Shah of PPP, Mohammad Atif of PTI from Mardan, Shahram Tarakai of PTI, Saqibullah Khan Chamkani of ANP and Inayatullah Khan of JI.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2018