PESHAWAR, July 29: Most of the former lawmakers, the Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf (PTI) had expelled earlier this year for allegedly selling their votes in the Senate polls, have lost the elections.

Those, who were shown the door by PTI, had either contested the elections as independent candidates or on the tickets of other political parties they had joined soon after their expulsion from PTI.

PTI had expelled its 20 MPAs after the Senate elections in March 2018 for alleged horse trading. Of them, 13 were male lawmakers, who were elected in the 2013 general elections on the general seats, while remaining seven MPAs were women, who were elected on the reserved seats.

Only two of 13 former lawmakers win elections as independent candidates

Of 13 such MPAs, 10 contested the 2018 elections and only two emerged victorious including Amjid Afridi and Faisal Zaman.

Amjid Afridi contested elections from Kohat as independent candidate. In the 2013 general elections, he was also elected as independent candidate. He had joined PTI after becoming MPA but he often spoke against the provincial government on the floor of assembly over distribution of funds.

Faisal Zaman from Haripur, another MPA, who had faced the axe after the Senate episode, retained his seat as independent candidate. He had also won the 2013 elections as independent candidate. Mr Zaman also joined PTI after getting berth in the provincial assembly.

One of these former lawmakers was Javed Naseem, who was contesting the polls on the ticket of PML-Q from Peshawar. The elections in the constituency were postponed due to the assassination of another candidate Haroon Bilour of Awami National Party.

Haroon Bilour was killed in the suicide attack along with 22 other party workers. Many others were injured when the suicide bomber hit a corner meeting of ANP. Of the expelled former MPAs, Arif Yousaf from Peshawar, Obaid Mayar from Mardan and Abdul Haq from Kohistan didn’t participate in the elections process.

Those, who faced defeat in the elections, include Sardar Idrees, Zahid Durrani, Qurban Khan, Yasin Khalil, Sami Alizai, Babar Saleem and Wajihuz Zaman.

Of them only Yasin Khalil contested elections on the ticket of Pakistan People’s Party from Peshawar while the others took part in the polls as independent candidates.

Mr Khalil had quit PPP and joined PTI prior to 2013 elections. He was elected MPA on the ticket of PTI.

Sardar Mohammad Idrees contested polls as independent candidate from Abbottabad, Zahid Durrani from Mardan, Qurban Khan from Nowshera, Sami Alizayi from Dera Ismail Khan, Babar Saleem from Swabi and Wajihuz Zaman from Mansehra.

The expelled women MPAs included Nargis Ali, Deena Naz, Nagina Khan, Fouzia Bibi, Naseem Hayat, Meraj Hamayun and Khatoon Bibi.

PTI has emerged as the single largest party in the July 25 elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as its candidates have won 66 seats and will form government without the support of any other political party.

PTI has stunned the leadership of rest of the political parties by winning seats in each corner of the province.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2018