'Tabdeeli ja rahi hai': Maryam takes a jibe at PTI over K-P LG poll drubbing

PML-N vice-president's comments come after the ruling party's unlikely defeat at the hands of JUI-F

Taking a jibe at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over its 'defeat' in the local government elections held in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Monday sarcastically said that tabdeeli aa nahi rahi, jarahi hai (change is not coming but going home).

Candidates of the opposition parties managed to defeat the ruling party nominees in most areas of the province, including the provincial capital Peshawar.

According to the unofficial results, the PTI lost the crucial Peshawar mayor seat as well to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) with a wide margin. JUI-F’s Zubair Ali secured 63,388 votes whereas PTI’s Rizwan Bangash secured 50,659 votes.

Read more: PTI faces setback in K-P as opposition parties lead in LG polls

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.

"Change is not coming but going [tabdeeli aa nahi rahi, jarahi hai] and that too with shame, slander and curses of millions of people," Maryam wrote on her official Twitter handle soon after the PTI's defeat.

She said that the ruling PTI pushed 22 million people into inflation, lawlessness due to its incompetence. "The change is on its way [home] after putting indelible stain of worst performance [in the country] in every department," she added.

تبدیلی آ نہیں رہی، تبدیلی جا رہی ہے! وہ بھی رسوائی، بدنامی اور کڑوڑوں بددعائیں سمیٹ کر ! ۲۲ کڑوڑ کے ملک کو مہنگائی، لاقانونیت، نالائقی اور نااہلی کی دلدل میں دھکیل کر۔ ہر شعبہ میں بدترین اور تاریخی ناکامی کے انمٹ داغ اپنے ماتھے پر سجا کر وہ جا رہی ہے تبدیلی!

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) December 20, 2021

Also read: PTI leaders go underground after poor show in Cantt polls

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 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 PML-N, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islehat managed to grab two seats each.