PTI gears up for second phase of LG polls in K-P

After losing the first phase of local government elections to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is now gearing up for the second phase of the polls.

According to the final results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday for 41 out of 65 tehsils, the JUI-F clinched 15 seats in the elections held on December 19. The ruling party secured eight seats while the Awami National Party (ANP) won six seats. PTI’s stronghold Peshawar also fell to JUI-F as the party clinched the mayor’s seat.

On Saturday, Parliamentary Secretary Interior Shaoukat Ali revealed that the ruling party has notified a K-P Advisory Committee comprising 10 members with Provincial President Pervez Khattak as its chairman. He added that a formal notification was issued two days ago by PTI’s General Secretary Asad Umar.

Also read: PM faults ‘wrong candidates selection’ for LG poll fiasco

According to the parliamentary secretary, the committee would be responsible for proposing names for party’s nominees for the next phase of local government elections, besides running the affairs of the party in the province.

Apart from Khattak, the committee comprises Saleh Mohammad Khan, Umer Ayub, Fazal Hakeem, Sahibzada Sibghat Ullah, Atif Khan, Shaoukat Khan, Shehryar Afridi, Humayun Khan, Noorul Haq Qadri and Fakhar Zaman, the notification revealed.

Shaoukat vowed that he would utilise his energy to galvanise the party and to strengthen it in the province. He added that efforts would be made to spread the party’s manifesto to every corner of the province.

It is worth mentioning here that an intra-party inquiry that the PTI lost the polls due to internal differences, inflation, and the lack of support for its candidates from some of its MNAs.

With input from APP