By: Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has faced a setback in the local government elections held in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
PTI also lost from the provincial capital. The local bodies elections were held for the first time after the merger of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into the province in 2017.
The elections were held in 17 districts, comprising 64 tehsils, on a party-basis as per the ruling of the courts. Out of 64 tehsils, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman is leading on 18 tehsil chairperson seats, whereas the PTI is trailing behind with 14 seats.
The Awami National Party (ANP) also managed to win nine seats. Independent candidates have bagged nine tehsil chairperson seats as well, the results suggested.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islehat managed to grab two seats each.
The PTI also lost the Peshawar mayor seat to the JUI-F with a wide margin. JUI-F’s Zubair Ali secured 63,388 votes whereas PTI’s Rizwan Bangash secured 50,659 votes.
Out of seven tehsils in Peshawar, the PTI could only win one seat, while the JUI-F and ANP grabbed three and two seats, respectively.
In Mardan, the PTI was wiped out; the JUI-F secured victory in three tehsils and the ANP came in first in two tehsils.
In Bannu, the PTI candidate is in the lead on the mayoral seat. It has also secured the tehsil chairperson slots in Buner, Kagara, Daggar, Gambat and Rustam.
In Charsada, JUI-F’s Hamza Asif secured over 33,000 votes to win the tehsil chairperson slot in Shabqadar. In Tank, the JUI-F secured a win in both tehsils.
In Lakki Marwat’s tehsil Nowrang, JI candidate Haji Aziz got over 17,000 votes to secure the seat for his party.