The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) candidate won the seat for the post of Peshawar mayor in the first phase of local government elections held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the merger of tribal districts, according to unofficial and unverified results.
The ruling PTI on Monday received a huge setback as opponents labelling the PTI defeat as ‘written on the wall’ and even KP minister accepted the defeat and termed inflation the prime reason for not performing in the first phase of the KP local bodies elections.
According to the unofficial results, JUI-F’s Zubair Ali — a relative of party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman — won with a margin of around 11,500 votes after securing 62,388. PTI’s Rizwan Bangash received 50,669 votes and PPP’s Zarak Arbab got 45,000 votes.
The unofficial results also show that the opposition parties have a combined lead over the ruling PTI for the post of mayor/chairman of the 63 tehsil councils.
According to the unofficial results from 30 tehsils, the JUI-F is leading with 13 seats, followed by the ruling PTI (6), PML-N (3), Awami National Party (3), Jamaat-i-Islami (1) and PPP (1). Meanwhile, independent candidates have secured three seats.
Meanwhile, PTI leaders attributed the party’s poor performance in the polls to the increase in inflation in the country.
Maulana Fazl ur Rehman Press Conference
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Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that his party was the “biggest political power” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) — where local government elections were held a day ago and incoming unofficial results show that his party is leading.
In a big blow to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which has ruled KP since 2013, unofficial results put JUI-F’s Zubair Ali as the winner for the coveted post of provincial capital Peshawar’s mayor.
Moreover, unofficial results from the KP’s 30 tehsils show that JUI-F is leading with 13 seats, followed by PTI (6), PML-N (3), Awami National Party (3), Jamaat-i-Islami (1) and PPP (1), while independent candidates have secured three seats.
“I believe we are leading at the tehsil and union council level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s local government elections,” Fazl said while speaking to the media in Quetta, adding that “time has proved that last elections were rigged.”
“JUI-F was and is the biggest political power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said in response to a question about the local government elections.
