LG polls in K-P: PTI to contest jointly with JI, AJIP

Parties to field 'mutually-agreed' candidates for May 30 poll

PESHAWAR: A tripartite alliance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) will contest the upcoming local government elections as a coalition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The three parties will field their ‘mutually-agreed’ candidates for the local government seats at tehsil and district levels in the upcoming polls, which will be contested on May 30. The alliance is for the cantonment boards election as well.

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Leaders of the three parties announced their decision at a joint press conference held inside the cabinet room of the civil secretariat in Peshawar on Friday. “The tripartite alliance has decided to get united for contesting the local government polls,” PTI General Secretary for K-P Khalid Masood announced.

Masood was accompanied by JI Naib Ameer for K-P Dr Iqbal Khalil, AJIP chief Shahram Khan Tarakai, K-P Senior Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Inayatullah Khan and K-P Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani at the press conference.

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Sharing details about the candidates' nomination, Masood said “the parties committees at the district and tehsil levels have been informed about the details — for nomination of a party candidate — and they will sit together to decide which parties will contest from which area with the backing of the alliance.”

The decision regarding the nomination of the candidate will be taken keeping in view the chances of a party’s victory in a particular area, while the candidate supported by the alliance will contest the elections on his party seat and party election symbol, he explained.

Masood made it clear that the alliance will not expand any further. The tripartite alliance is currently running the provincial government in K-P.

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JI leader Khalil said that they wanted to conduct the local government polls in the province within the first year of their government but because of some hurdles, the election could not be contested on time. He informed that the three parties have constituted joint committees at town and district level for the nomination of the candidates and the process will be completed in a week. “The elections will be exemplary elections in the history of the country and will be completely free and fair.”

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“The system adopted for the local government is unmatched as the powers will be transferred to the village council and mohala council level,” he added.

AJIP chief Shahram Khan Tarakai said that all the three parties have the same mission, which is to transfer the power to grassroots level.  “The previous local government system was vague and ministers would intrude in the matters of nazims and councillors, but in this system they will be free from intrusions.”