Expelled PTI member joins PPP for stronghold Peshawar constituency

Yaseen Khan Khalil swept the 2013 elections for PTI in PK-5 constituency

PESHAWAR: Former provincial lawmaker Yaseen Khan Khalil, who was expelled from PTI in April this year in the backdrop of a purge over selling party's Senate seats, is running for PK-73 in the forthcoming elections on PPP's ticket.

Khalil was among 20 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PTI lawmakers who faced disciplinary charges on allegedly receiving bribe of up to Rs40 million to vote for rival candidates in March 3 Senate polls.

He swept the 2013 elections for PK-5, which is now PK-73 according to fresh delimitation.

As for PTI, of 33 candidates applying for a party ticket for the seat, the party has awarded ticket a complete outsider Taimur Jhagra for the constituency. The party's supporters are reported to have protested twice against the decision as they want a resident of the area to run for the slot.



Talking to The Express Tribune, Khalil confirmed his alliance with the PPP and that he had submitted nomination papers on party's ticket. According to the candidate, it was very difficult to run a third time as PTI member with "baseless allegations" against him.

Earlier, Khalil and his brother Asghar had applied for PTI's tickets but Khalil did not appear before the party's committee for scrutiny and so weren't allotted tickets.

Khalil was an active member of PPP. In 2011, he joined PTI and contested 2013 general election on PTI's ticket and won with 31,575 votes. The runner up was JUI-F's Maulana Amanullah Haqqani with 6,908 votes and QWP member Mohammad Ibrar secured the third spot with 4,140 votes.

Meanwhile, another candidate speaking on the condition of anonymity said ticket to Jhagra had been awarded on the recommendation of Jahangair Tareen, disqualified by the top court to hold public office.

Another PTI leader from the constituency Najiullah Khattak urged the party leadership to review the decision and pitch a candidate that residents of the constituency will back.