PTI to challenge Peshawar mayoral poll

The ruling PTI has decided to challenge the results of Peshawar mayor election after losing it to rivals JUI-F with a wide margin. According to the unconfirmed and unofficial results, JUI-F’s Zubair Ali won the coveted seat by securing 63,388 votes while PTI’s Rizwan Bangash could only manage to bag 50,659 votes.

PTI’s Peshawar chapter spokesperson Rahat Akbar Mughal said in a statement on Monday that the party will file an application for a vote recount, claiming that the number of rejected votes of PTI exceeded the victory margin of JUI-F candidate. Referring to a viral video clip, the PTI spokesperson alleged that the rival candidate poured Rs20 million into the elections to win the mayorship of the provincial capital. Those who lured villagers and neighbourhood councillors with money should be held accountable, he added.

The spokesperson further claimed that the polling process at women's polling stations was deliberately slowed down and the polling staff was also offered bribes. The ruling party faced a major setback in the local government elections held in KhyberPakhtunkhwa (K-P) with the candidates of the opposition parties managing to defeat the ruling party nominees in most areas, including 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.