Déjà vu in K-P

2024 polls prove a nightmare for parties

PESHAWAR:

 

For all other political parties apart from the PTI, the general elections of 2024 also proved to be a nightmare – similar to what happened in 2018.

Only the leaders of PTI achieved success in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while those of all other parties faced defeat.

Apart from those who left the PTI and joined other parties, former K-P chief ministers Pervez Khattak and Mahmood Khan, who formed their own party called PTI-Parliamentarians, also suffered failure.

Those who persevered with the PTI and faced hardships were rewarded in the form of success in the polls.

In the 2018 general elections, Imran Khan, the founding chairman of the PTI, emerged victorious from K-P, but all other national leaders were defeated, including PML-N president and former premier Shehbaz Sharif, PPP chairman and ex-foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Qaumi Watan Party head Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Jamaat-e-Islami emir Sirajul Haq and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

This time again, PTI leader Barrister Gohar on way to success in the province while others including PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif; ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan; the JUI-F chief and his two sons; QWP’s Sherpao and his son Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao; JI emir; and all others apparently tested defeat.

Even former federal minister and senior politician, ANP’s Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, faced defeat.
However, former federal minister PML-Q’s Salim Saifullah Khan was successful in clinching his seat but his brother, ex-PPP K-P president Anwar Saifullah Khan was not so fortunate.

PPP K-P president Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha and general secretary Shuja Khan; ANP provincial information secretary Samar Haroon Bilour; JUI-F provincial general secretary Molana Attaul Haq Darvish; and JI provincial emir Professor Muhammad Ibrahim Khan as well as general secretary Abdul Wasey also failed to bag the seats they were running for.

Among those defeated in the elections is PPP K-P information secretary Amjad Afridi, who had been consistently successful in the previous polls.

On the other hand, PTI-affiliated independent candidates were successful yet again including former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser; ex-KP Assembly speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani; as well as former federal ministers Shehryar Afridi, Ali Muhammad Khan, and Ali Amin Gandapur.

Former K-P Assembly speaker Bakht Jehan Khan, who is contesting the election on the ticket of JI from Buner, has suffered defeat as well.