SHANGLA: Candidates, including political heavyweights, filed nominations to contest the Feb 8 general elections across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, a day before the expiry of the deadline for submitting papers.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial president Amir Muqam and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf senior vice-president in the province Shaukat Yousafzai separate submitted nomination papers to the additional returning officer in Alpuri area of Shangla district for the upcoming electoral contest in NA-11 and PK-30 constituencies.

Mr Yousafzai also filed nominations to contest election in PK-28.

The others, who submitted election papers in the district, included Mohammad Rashad Khan and Fazalullah Pir Mohammad Khan of the PML-N for PK-28 and PK-29, respectively, former ANP MPA Faisal Zeb for PK-29 and his father and former local government secretary Aurangzeb Khan for NA-11 as the ANP’s nominees.

Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has named its leader, Mufti Kifayatullah, as an election candidate against former prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in the NA-15 constituency of Mansehra district.

JUI-F names candidate against Nawaz in Mansehra

“My [party] leadership has fielded me to contest NA-15 election,” Mr Kifayatullah told reporters on Saturday.

He filed his nomination papers the other day.

The JUI-F has announced an electoral alliance with the PML-N in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. However, the nomination of Mr Kifayatullah comes over differences between the two parties on seat adjustments in Mansehra district, according to insiders.

A local JUI-F leader told Dawn on condition of anonymity that party emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman “pitched” Kifayatullah against Nawaz Sharif as the party’s leaders in the province opposed seat adjustment and called for the fielding of own candidates for all two national and five provincial assembly seats in Mansehra district.

Also in the day, the PTI’s election ticket aspirants submitted nomination papers to the relevant returning officer in the district.

Noted among them was Munir Hussain Lughmani, the aspirant for the party’s ticket for PK-36.

He denounced the snatching of nomination papers from the PTI aspirants in some areas and demanded the Supreme Court and Election Commission of Pakistan take note of the incidents.

PTI divisional president Babar Saleem Swati and leaders Kamal Saleem Swati and Shahid Rafique also filed election papers.

In Dera Ismail Khan district, PTI provincial president and former federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur along with his brother, wife and father submitted their nomination papers to the returning officer.

Mr Gandapur’s papers for NA-44, PK-112 and PK-113 were filed by lawyer Adnan Khan Marwat.

The former minister’s brother, Faisal Amin Gandapur, submitted nominations for election in PK-112 and wife Mehnaz Gandapur in PK-113.

Mr Gandapur’s father, retired Major Aminullah Khan, will be his covering candidate.

Candidates of political parties and independents, too, filed nominations for the district’s two national and five provisional assembly sears.

In Lower Dir district, 10 PTI candidates submitted their nomination papers for contesting election in PK-17, PTI Youth Wing leader Rahat Farooqi for NA-7, Dr Shah Khalid for PK-14 and Zakirullah for PK-16.

Also, JUI-F leaders Maulana Nabi Shah and Sirajuddin filed nominations for PK-16 and NA-7, respectively, Fazal Wahid of the PML-N for PK-14, and Qari Fazal Rahim and PPP district information secretary Alam Zeb for NA-7.

In Buner district, Dr Sawera Parkash, a resident of Daggar, submitted her nomination papers to the returning officer for PK-25 as well as for the reserved national and provincial assembly seats on the orders of PPP leadership, said her father Dr Oam Parkash.

In Mardan district, former chief minister and ANP leader Ameer Haider Khan Hoti submitted his nomination papers to contest elections in NA-22 and PK-58, and PTI leader Mohammad Atif Khan for NA-22 and PK-59 seats.

Around 130 candidates submitted papers for the district’s total three National Assembly and eight provincial assembly seats.

In Bajaur district, candidates filed papers for only National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats.

They included former governor Shaukatullah Khan, PML-N provincial vice-president Shahabuddin Khan, PTI president Gul Zafar Khan, PTI additional general secretary Dr Hameedur Rahman , Bajaur Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Haji Lali Shah, PPP district general secretary Mohammad Anees Khan, and PTI Youth Wing former senior vice president Akhtar Gul.

Former district health officer Dr Mohammad Iqbal, Ihsanullah and Daud Khan of the Pakistan PTI, Rafiullah Khan of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, and Sanaulklah Khan and Abdullah Khan submitted papers in Lakki Marwat district for NA-41 seat.

PTI district president Johar Mohammad Khan, Lakki tehsil president Dr Mohammad Iqbal, Hafiz Asif Salim of the JUI-F, and Waheed Aslam Khan of the TLP filed nominations for PK-105 Lakki Marwat-I.

Sanaullah Khan, Mohammad Ismail, Shahidullah, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, Mohammad Anwar, Arifullah and Hayatullah submitted papers for PK-106 Lakki Marwat-II and former Senator Osman Saifullah Khan, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Ihsanullah Khan, Khalid Usman Shah and Anwar Zaman for PK-107 Lakki-III.

In Abbottabad district, provincial assembly Speaker and PTI vice-president leader Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani is understood to be filing nomination papers in his hometown constituency PK- 45.

Lawyer Kamran Gul will submit papers to the returning officer on the speaker’s behalf.

His wife, Farzana Mushtaq, will be the PTI’s alternative candidate in the constituency.

Mr Ghani, who is currently in the UK, will return on Dec 27, family sources claim.

The Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad Circuit Bench has already granted protection bail to him in cases of alleged corruption, illegal recruitment and May 9 violence.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2023