QUETTA: The third and final phase of local government elections was completed in Balochistan on Wednesday with the election of mayors, deputy mayors, chairmen and deputy chairmen of district councils and union councils.

With the completion of the election process, Balochistan held the honour of being the only province to hold LB elections. The elections were held peacefully and smoothly.

According to unofficial results, most of the winners belong to ruling coalition partners in the province – the Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party, National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N.

Dr Kalimullah and Younis Lehri, joint candidates of the three parties, were elected mayor and deputy mayor of the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation, respectively. Dr Kalimullah belongs to the PkMAP and Younis Lehri is from the PML-N. They were supported by the PPP and Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen.

Dr Kalimullah, who earlier served as provincial minister for services and general administration, obtained 54 votes and his rival Qari Abdul Qahir 14.

Younis Lehri, who is a journalist by profession and owns a daily newspaper, secured 56 votes, while his rival Raza Wakeel of the All Parties Democratic Alliance obtained 13.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked his party’s councillors to vote for joint candidates.

The PML-N’s Balochistan chapter and the APDA insisted that the PkMAP and NP should support PML-N candidates for both slots. But a group headed by PML-N’s Rahim Kakar, who has served as city nazim and mayor of Quetta, opposed the party chief’s decision and boycotted the election.

Malik Naeem Khan Bazai of the APDA was elected chairman and Asmatullah of the PkMAP deputy chairman of the district council, Quetta. Mr Bazai belongs to the Awami National Party.

According to reports reaching here from other areas of the province, most of the candidates of ruling parties and JUI-F won the posts of mayor, deputy mayor, chairman and vice chairman of district councils and municipal committees.

Behram Baloch adds from Gwadar: National Party candidate Babu Gulab was elected chairman and Inyatullah Hoth vice chairman of the District Council, Gwadar.

National Party’s Manzoor Ahmed was elected chairman and Haji Qadeer Bakhsh vice chairman of the Municipal Committee, Jiwani.

National Party’s Hakeem Baloch and KB Saeed were elected unopposed to the posts of chairman and vice chairman of the Municipal Committee, Pasni.

The election authorities postponed the election for the Municipal Committee, Gwadar, after the Balochistan National Party-Mengal pointed out that almost two-thirds of elected members were not present in the hall as required by the LB election rules.

National Party’s Abdul Malik Saleh was elected chairman and Mohammad Younis vice chairman of the Municipal Committee, Panjgur.

National Party’s Fida Hussain Dashti was elected chairman and Naseem Baloch vice chairman of the district council, Kech, unopposed.

Qazi Ghulam Rasool was elected unopposed mayor and Nisar Ahmed Baloch deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Turbat.

Abdul Wahid Shahwani adds from Khuzdar: According to unofficial results, an alliance of three parties won majority of posts of mayor, deputy mayor, chairman and deputy chairman in the district.

Agha Shakeel Ahmed Durrani of PML-N was elected chairman and Abdul Hameed of National Party vice chairman of the District Council, Khuzdar.

National Party’s Rahim Kurd was elected mayor and Mufti Abdul Qadir Shahwani of the JUI-F deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Khuzdar.

Ali Jan Mangi reports from Dera Murad Jamali: PML-N’s Sardar Changez Khan Sasoli and Sardarzada Kahir Bakhsh Umarni were elected unopposed as chairman and deputy chairman of the District Council, Nasirabad.

Zubair Ahmed Jamali was elected chairman and Ali Raza Jamali deputy chairman of the District Council, Jaffarabad

The election for chairman and deputy chairman of the Municipal Committee, Dera Murad Jamali, was postponed because of absence of councillors of PML-N.

Sardar Shahnawaz Khan Umrani was elected chairman and Mir Mohammad Ayub Khosa vice chairman of the Municipal Committee, Dera Allahyar.

Mir Aamir Ali Khan Jamali was elected chairman and Niaz Ahmed Umrani vice chairman of the Municipal Committee, Usta Mohammad.

Mir Ahmed Ali Khosa was elected chairman and Fahad Khan Pahwar vice chairman of the District Council, Sobatpur.

PML-N’s Ghullam Nabi Shambani was elected chairman and Shah Murad Masoori Bugti deputy chairman of the District Council, Dera Bugti.

PPP’s Amir Mohammad Khetran was elected chairman of the District Council, Barkhan.

Sultan Sherani of the PkMAP was elected as chairman of the District Council, Sherani.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2015

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