BUNER: Six candidates, including two each of JUI-F and JI and two independents, on Friday withdrew their nomination papers in favour of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal candidate Istiqbal Khan for Buner’s NA-9 constituency.

They included independent candidates Adil Khan and Abdul Majid, JUI-F nominees Maulana Shamsul Aarifeen and Maulana Haleemur Rehman and JI’s Habibur Rehman and Abdul Ghaffar.

Now seven candidates have been left in the field for NA-9. They included disgruntled PTI activist Moeenuddin Bacha who would contest the elections as independent candidate.

The other six candidates of political parties for NA-9 include Sher Akbar of PTI, Rauf Khan of ANP, Fanoos Gujjar of AWP, Kamran Khan of PML-N, Istiqbal Khan of MMA (JUI-F) and Sar Mir Khan of APML.

Fanoos Gujjar also enjoys the support of PPPP and QWP. The MMA has awarded PK-20 ticket to Mufti Fazal Ghafoor of JUI-F, PK-21 ticket to Nasar Ali of JI and PK-22 ticket to Raj Wali Khan of JI.

Meanwhile, PML-N candidate Kamran Khan also claimed to have entered into an electoral alliance with JI as Jamaat district chief Mohammad Hanif and other local leaders visited Chanar House of PML-N and finalised the deal with them.

Both PML-N and JI leaders say that Kamran Khan will be their joint candidate for NA-9 and JI’s Bakht Jehan for PK-20, Nasir Ali PK-21 and Raj Wali for PK-22.

The political scenario in Buner is quite complex as major political parties like JI and PTI are facing internal differences. Of all the parties, the ANP activists seem united in support of their candidates, including Afsar Khan for PK-20, Qaisar Wali PK-21 and Sardar Hussain Babak for PK-22.

The Karwan-i-Buner alliance of AWP, PPPP and QWP will field joint candidates, including Fanoos Gujjar of AWP for NA-9, Johar Ali Khan of PPPP for PK-20 and Bakht Biland of QWP for PK-22.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2018