Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: PPP reveals candidates for all but 10 NA constituencies

PESHAWAR:

Taking a cue from the JUI-F, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) also finalised on Monday candidates for all but a few National and provincial assembly constituencies.

PPP’s provincial chief Anwar Saifullah Khan will contest NA-26 (Bannu), while his brother Humayun Saifullah Khan will run for NA-27 (Lakki Marwat). Similarly, Arbab Alamgir Khan, son of Arbab Jahangir Khan, will be PPP’s candidate for NA-2 (Peshawar-II) Noor Alam Khan will contest NA-3 (Peshawar-III), while Engineer Muhammad Tariq Khattak will run for NA-6 (Nowshera-II).

“For some national and provincial assembly constituencies, party tickets will be awarded within the next couple of day,” Liaquat Shahbab, the party’s provincial secretary information, told a news briefing at the PPP Secretariat in Peshawar. He added that barring a few constituencies, tickets have been awarded to former MNAs and MPAs of the PPP in the outgoing assemblies.

He said that “PPP’s provincial parliamentary board recommended the allocation of tickets in K-P – a decision that was duly approved by the party’s central parliamentary board”.

He added that the PPP was also working on possible electoral alliances with Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s JUI-F and Aftab Sherpao’s Qaumi Wattan Party in the region. “We can even talk to the ANP on issues,” he added. “We have made four regional committees – and they have been authorised to work out seat-to-seat adjustment with any party for better results in elections,” he added.

In the end, Liaquat Shahbab formally announced the names of recipients of party tickets for the 2013 elections. “For every constituency, there will be a covering candidate as well,” he said without sharing their names with media.

The 10 National Assembly constituencies where the party has yet not finalised its candidates are NA-1 (Peshawar-I), NA-16 (Hangu), NA-17 (Abbottabad-I), NA-18 Abbottabad-II, NA-19 (Haripur), NA-21 (Mansehra-II), NA-22 (Battagram), NA-23 (Kohistan), NA-25 (Tank) and NA-29 (Swat-I).

Similarly, the 22 provincial assembly constituencies where the party has not picked out candidates are PK-37 (Kohat-I), PK-42 (Hangu-I), PK-43 (Hangu-II), PK-48 (Abbottabad-V), PK-50 (Haripur-II), PK-51 (Haripur-III), PK-53 (Mansehra-I), PK-55 (Mansehra-III), PK-56 Mansehra-IV), PK-57 (Mansehra-V), PK 58 (Mansehra-VI), PK-59 (Battagram-I), PK-60 (Battagram-II), PK-61 (Kohistan-I) , PK-62 (Kohistan-II), PK-63 Kohistan-III), PK-65 (DI Khan-II), PK-66 (DI Khan-III), PK-69 (Tank), PK-70 (Bannu-I), PK-76 (Lakki Marwat-III), PK-80 (Swat-I) and PK-90 (Chitral-II).

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2013.