KP LG polls a chance for PTI to change its strategy, eliminate shortcomings: Shibli Faraz

• Shibli Faraz says PTI learned a lot from LG election in KP and it will use this experience to prepare for next elections.
• Says PTI's performance in contest was 'not that bad'.
• Terms PTI's contest against PTI reason for its subpar performance in LG polls.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz feels PTI didn't do too bad in the first phase of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local government election held Sunday.

PTI has learned a lot from the ongoing local government elections in KP and the party will use this experience to prepare for the next elections, Faraz opined.

"We have been given a chance to change our strategy and eliminate our shortcomings," Faraz said while expressing his views over the results of the LG polls where the Opposition party JUI-F emerged victorious, bagging majority seats.

The Opposition parties, particularly JUI-F, have taken an unassailable lead in KP's ongoing local body elections, leaving PTI behind, according to unofficial results.

The PTI leaders have accepted their defeat as the ruling party could not grab a single mayor seat out of the four. The PTI could win a tehsil in Peshawar out of six tehsils.

According to Faraz, PTI's performance in the contest was still not that bad.

"The reason behind PTI's failure in the election is that most of PTI's candidates contested against aspirants of their own party," the minister said.

He said that another reason was that some people were resentful over the current wave of inflation.

'Peaceful conduct of polling'

Faraz, while talking to the media, expressed pleasure over what he called a peaceful conduct of polling to elect the representatives in the new local government of the province.

At the same time, he condemned the violent clashes at polling stations resulting in the loss of five lives in different districts of KP.

Criticising the Opposition, Faraz said that they don't have an alternative plan for the future.

Meanwhile, provincial minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai cited price hikes as a major reason for PTI's subpar performance in the election.

He vowed to lower inflation in the country.

"Prime Minister [Imran Khan] has a realisation about the issue of inflation," asserted the provincial minister.

He termed the conduct of polling an achievement of the PTI government, saying that grassroots level elections are unprecedented in the history of Pakistan. He said there has been full participation by people of the province.

Referring to the incident of clashes and skirmishes during the polls, Yousafzai said no more than two or three mishaps took place. Shaukat Yousafzai said that there is no allegation of corruption leveled against the PTI government.

Similar views were expressed by two provincial ministers Atif Khan and Shahram Tarakai.

'JUI-F the biggest party in KP'

Meanwhile, JUIF chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proved once again that his party was the single largest party of the province.

He made these remarks while addressing a press conference along with former Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani in Quetta on Monday.

“This election has proved that previous [2018 general elections] were rigged and JUI-F was and still is the largest party of the province,” he remarked.

Fazl said some forces did not want religious parties to come into power due to their ideology. “Why would we [JUI-F] be unacceptable to the Western world when the United States ‘allowed’ Taliban to take over Afghanistan?” he added.

The JUI-F chief further said the elections results have vindicated their stance that corruption allegations had been used as a tool to victimise opposition parties.

“The practice to defame politicians should end now,” said Fazl, adding that his party could run the affairs of the state better than the ruling PTI.

JUI-F takes unassailable lead as PTI suffers major setback

The PTI leaders have accepted their defeat as the ruling party could not grab a single mayor seat out of the four. The PTI could win a tehsil in Peshawar out of six tehsils.

Awami National Party's (ANP) Himayatullah has been elected as the mayor in Mardan with 56,458 votes, followed by the JUI-F's Amanat Shah Haqqani with 49,938 votes, according to unofficial results. The JUI-F's candidates secured the remaining three seats of mayor in Kohat, Bannu and Peshawar, according to unofficial results.

You can follow the live election results here: 

The results, however, for the election of mayor in Peshawar have been stopped by the ECP on account of postponement of polling on some polling stations due to a law and order situation there.

The JUI-F's candidate Sher Zaman grabbed the mayor seat in Kohat with 34,434 votes and Irfanullah Durrani won in Bannu with 59,844 votes. Independent candidate Saifullah Jan trailed Zaman with 25,793 votes and PTI's Iqbal Jadoon could secure 47,398 votes, trailing Durrani in Bannu.

In Peshawar, JUI-F's candidate Zubair Ali bagged as many as 62,388 votes - a wide margin of over 10,000 votes over PTI's Muhammad Rizwan Bangash, who is the runner-up and has amassed 50,659 votes, according to unofficial results.

Out of 521, the unofficial results of 515 polling stations have been released for the city mayor. Results from six polling stations have been withheld.

In Peshawar's Peshtakhara tehsil, JUI-F's Muhammed Haroon grabbed 11,295 votes, followed by PML-N's Zahir Khan with 10,158 votes.

In Peshawar's Mathra tehsil, JUI-F's Faridullah Khan got 22,000 votes, followed by Jamat-e-Islami's Iftikhar Ahmed with 15,844 votes.

In Peshawar's Chamkani tehsil, ANP's Arbab Muhammed Umar succeeded with 24,415 votes, followed by PTI's Nabi Gul with 20,398 votes.

In Peshawar's Hassan Khel tehsil, PTI's Hafeezur Rehman got the seat with JUI-F's Malik Nazarbaz came as a runner-up.

In Peshawar's Shah Alam tehsil, the PTI's candidate leads the race while ANP's candidate leads the race in Peshawar's Badhber tehsil.

There are five city councils in the province, however, the elections are taking place only on four as the polls in Dera Ismail Khan were postponed after ANP's candidate for mayor, Umar Khittab Sherani was shot dead.

In the 64 tehsil council unofficial results obtained so far, the JUI-F has emerged victorious in 16 tehsil council seats while the PTI has won in 14.

Independent candidates have won 10, ANP six, PML-N three, Jamaat-e-Islami two, and Tehreek-e-Istiqlal in the tehsil council elections.