PHC clears appointment of PTI nominee as MPA

Verdict means ECP will now notify Ayesha Bibi as a reserved seat member of K-P Assembly from erstwhile FATA

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday issued a detailed verdict over setting aside an order of the election tribunal against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial assembly candidate for the reserved seat for women Ayesha Bibi.

The verdict means the top poll body will now notify her as a reserved seat member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Advocate Taimur Ali Mohmand, who was representing Ayesha, told The Express Tribune that Ayesha Bibi was on serial number 1 on a list of reserved seat nominees submitted by the PTI to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the recently concluded provincial assembly elections in the newly merged tribal districts (NMTDs).

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PTI Mohmand Vice President Naveed Mohmand told The Express Tribune that once submitted to the ECP, Ayesha Bibi cleared the poll body’s scrutiny process. But later, her nomination was challenged both in the election tribunal and the PHC by Mehreen Afridi — who was second on that list.

“The Election Tribunal accepted Afridi’s appeal against Ayesha Bibi but this was later challenged in PHC which set aside the tribunal’s order in its detailed verdict issued on Monday,” Naveed said.

According to Taimur, a copy of the verdict has been submitted to the ECP for due process and hoped that the poll body will issue a notification declaring Ayesha as the successful candidate.

Ayesha Bibi belongs to Lower Mohmand tribal district. She was nominated on the second reserved seat for women available to the PTI after the July 20 provincial assembly elections in the area.

It is widely believed that she is a true representative of women from the tribal districts having lived in tribal districts instead of the settled districts of K-P.