PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is leading in 27 of the 39 National Assembly and 60 of the 97 provincial assembly constituencies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while results of over 50 per cent polling stations were awaited in most of other constituencies till early hours of Thursday morning.

The flow of results was very slow with only 30 per cent of the results of polling stations being counted in some constituencies.

Till filing of this report, the PTI was leading on 27 seats, the MMA, ANP and PML-N on two seats each, the PPP on one seat, whereas two independent candidates were also leading.

In the provincial assembly constituencies, the PTI was leading on 60 seats; ANP on 10; MMA on six; PML-N and PPP on two each and independent candidates on four seats.

Leadership of all the major political parties sans the PTI were not in the leading position in most constituencies. Opponents of ANP’s Asfandyar Wali Khan, Qaumi Watan Party’s Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Sirajul Haq were said to be leading as the results were being counted.

Against the 12 NA seats in the recently merged Federally Administered Tribal Agencies, the PTI was leading on five of the constituencies including two constituencies each in Khyber and Bajaur tribal regions and the last one in Mohmand region.

The PPP and the JUI-F were leading in one constituency each in the Kurram region, whereas three independent candidates in South and North Waziristan, Ali Wazir, Mohsin Dawar and retired Brigadier Qayyum Sher were in leading position.

PTI chief Imran Khan was also leading against his rival Akram Khan Durrani, a former chief minister and key leader of JUI-F, in NA-35 Bannu. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif were trailing behind their opponents in Malakand and Swat National Assembly constituencies.

Ex-chief minister Pervez Khattak, who won the NA-25 (Nowshera) seat, was also leading in two provincial assembly constituencies in his native Nowshera. Similarly, ex-chief minister Haider Khan Hoti of ANP was having a lead against his rival PTI candidates in NA-21 constituency and a provincial assembly (Mardan) constituency.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2018