By-polls: Political parties move to finalise candidates
PTI the first to issue notification naming contenders, others said to be undecided.
PTI the first to issue notification naming contenders, others said to be undecided. PHOTO: FILE
PESHAWAR:
With the schedule for by-elections released on Monday by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), political parties have started to pore over candidates for five national and four provincial assembly seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
In a decision taken by PTI’s parliamentary board meeting in Islamabad on Monday, the party finalised its list of candidates for the by-polls.
According to a statement issued from the PTI media cell, Gul Bacha will be contesting for the NA-1 (Peshawar-I) seat which was vacated by PTI chief Imran Khan. K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s son-in-law Dr Imran will be competing for the NA-5 (Nowshera) seat vacated by the chief minister himself, while Dawar Kundi will contest for NA-25 (DI Khan-cum-Tank), vacated by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. PPP stalwart Anwar Saifullah Khan’s brother Jehangir Safiullah will be contesting for NA-27 (Lakki Marwat) on the PTI’s ticket. PTI candidate for the NA-13 (Swabi) seat, vacated by K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, has not yet been announced.
Some sources said Jamaat-e-Islami, which is a coalition partner of the PTI in the K-P government, wants the latter to leave the seat for its candidate Asif Luqman Qazi, son of late Qazi Hussain Ahmad.
Some said the chief minister and provincial assembly speaker also went back and forth over PTI’s chosen candidate for NA-5 as Qaiser wanted his brother Waheed Khan to be allotted the party ticket. On the other hand, QWP – also a coalition partner – has its eyes on one of the PK seats too.
Of the four vacant provincial assembly seats, PK-23 will be contested for by Umar Farooq, PK-27 by Engineer Adil and PK-70 by Matiullah Jan. The candidate for PK-42 has not been announced yet.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak told The Express Tribune his party is yet to hold meetings with other opposition parties over fielding candidates for vacant assembly seats.
“We will contest every NA and PK seat in the by-elections in K-P,” said Khattak, adding his party will finalise the names of candidates within two days.
Some insiders, however, say the PML-N might not field candidates for NA-1 and NA-5. Earlier, PML-N’s central vice president Amir Muqam also said the party will not field a candidate for the PK-27 seat which fell vacant following the demise of PTI MPA Imran Mohmand who was killed in a suicide blast at a funeral in Mardan on June 18.
“The opposition parties are facing problems regarding their strategy over the by-elections,” said a source within the party, claiming the PML-N, JUI-F and Awami National Party (ANP) agreed on fielding joint candidates for certain seats, but PPP opposed the idea as it was reluctant to support JUI-F and ANP candidates.
Some insiders claimed K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak will have to make some tough decisions regarding seat adjustments.
According to the notification issued by the ECP, by-elections for five NA and four PK seats in K-P will be held on August 22. Nomination papers will be filed from July 3 to July 9 and scrutiny of candidates will start from July 11-17. The last date of appeals is July 22 while the disposal of appeals from tribunals will be completed on July 29. Last date for withdrawal of papers is July 31.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2013.
With the schedule for by-elections released on Monday by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), political parties have started to pore over candidates for five national and four provincial assembly seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
In a decision taken by PTI’s parliamentary board meeting in Islamabad on Monday, the party finalised its list of candidates for the by-polls.
According to a statement issued from the PTI media cell, Gul Bacha will be contesting for the NA-1 (Peshawar-I) seat which was vacated by PTI chief Imran Khan. K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s son-in-law Dr Imran will be competing for the NA-5 (Nowshera) seat vacated by the chief minister himself, while Dawar Kundi will contest for NA-25 (DI Khan-cum-Tank), vacated by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. PPP stalwart Anwar Saifullah Khan’s brother Jehangir Safiullah will be contesting for NA-27 (Lakki Marwat) on the PTI’s ticket. PTI candidate for the NA-13 (Swabi) seat, vacated by K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, has not yet been announced.
Some sources said Jamaat-e-Islami, which is a coalition partner of the PTI in the K-P government, wants the latter to leave the seat for its candidate Asif Luqman Qazi, son of late Qazi Hussain Ahmad.
Some said the chief minister and provincial assembly speaker also went back and forth over PTI’s chosen candidate for NA-5 as Qaiser wanted his brother Waheed Khan to be allotted the party ticket. On the other hand, QWP – also a coalition partner – has its eyes on one of the PK seats too.
Of the four vacant provincial assembly seats, PK-23 will be contested for by Umar Farooq, PK-27 by Engineer Adil and PK-70 by Matiullah Jan. The candidate for PK-42 has not been announced yet.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak told The Express Tribune his party is yet to hold meetings with other opposition parties over fielding candidates for vacant assembly seats.
“We will contest every NA and PK seat in the by-elections in K-P,” said Khattak, adding his party will finalise the names of candidates within two days.
Some insiders, however, say the PML-N might not field candidates for NA-1 and NA-5. Earlier, PML-N’s central vice president Amir Muqam also said the party will not field a candidate for the PK-27 seat which fell vacant following the demise of PTI MPA Imran Mohmand who was killed in a suicide blast at a funeral in Mardan on June 18.
“The opposition parties are facing problems regarding their strategy over the by-elections,” said a source within the party, claiming the PML-N, JUI-F and Awami National Party (ANP) agreed on fielding joint candidates for certain seats, but PPP opposed the idea as it was reluctant to support JUI-F and ANP candidates.
Some insiders claimed K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak will have to make some tough decisions regarding seat adjustments.
According to the notification issued by the ECP, by-elections for five NA and four PK seats in K-P will be held on August 22. Nomination papers will be filed from July 3 to July 9 and scrutiny of candidates will start from July 11-17. The last date of appeals is July 22 while the disposal of appeals from tribunals will be completed on July 29. Last date for withdrawal of papers is July 31.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2013.