PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party and Qaumi Watan Party have rejected the results of the general elections, alleging the electoral exercise was manipulated.

The ANP called a meeting of its ‘think tank’ to decide future course of action and about joining the alliance of parties having reservations about election results.

ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the party was shocked at election results and therefore, it had called its think tank’s meeting to assess the post-election situation and future strategy to ‘express dissatisfaction with poll results in a fruitful manner’.

He said the party’s leadership and think thank consisting of academicians, former bureaucrats and senior party members would discuss the party’s line of action after other political parties, too, had refused to accept election results.

Mr Hussain said the party’s leadership would consult the think tank to decide about whether to become part of the multiparty alliance on the matter.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan had lost election in NA-24, Charsadda, to political rival Fazal Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Mr Asfandyar’s son Aimal Wali Khan, too, lost election in the provincial assembly constituency, PK-58, to PTI’s Sultan Mohammad Khan.

Also, Mian Iftikhar Hussain lost election in his home constituency, PK-65, Pabbi. He failed to win election for the second consecutive time not only to his surprise but to his supporters’.

“These election results are unacceptable. This time around, we’ve been wiped out,” he said comparing his party’s 2018 election performance with the 2013’s.

In the last elections, the ANP had reluctantly accepted the election results after youths voted for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in KP in large numbers over slogan of change.

The PTI has again won most seats in the province this time around.

MANDATE STOLEN: The QWP rejected the election results alleging that the people’s mandate given to it was ‘stolen’.

In a statement here on Thursday, QWP chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao said the caretaker government and Election Commission of Pakistan had miserably failed to hold free and fair elections in the country.

He said the elections were manipulated to favour certain political parties and thus, causing serious reservations about the entire exercise.

Mr Sherpao said Pakhtuns, who had been the victims of terrorism, were deprived of representation in assemblies through ballot.

He said Pakhtuns and Afghan issue would badly suffer due to manipulated elections.

The QWP chief however said his party would save Pakhtuns from political marginalisation.

He said the Pakhtun leadership had been sidelined and therefore, they won’t be part of the next National Assembly to play the vital role of protecting the rights of Pakhtuns.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2018