Elections 2024: Nawaz, Fazl among heavyweights to contest for NA, PA seats in KP

• Imran Khan did not submit nomination papers from KP this time.
• JUI-F chief Fazl will contest for NA-44 in Dera Ismail Khan.
• PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur to contest from same constituency. 

PESHAWAR: Around 24 leaders, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, will contest elections from the national and provincial assemblies' seats in different constituencies of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the upcoming general elections, The News reported Sunday. 

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, who had been elected to the National Assembly several times in 2013 and 2018, did not submit nomination papers from KP this time. 

Moreover, Awami National Party’s (ANP) central president Asfandyar Wali Khan will not be contesting polls due to illness. 

Nawaz will face PTI candidate and former provincial minister Shahzada Gustasip on NA-15 in Mansehra in the February 8 polls. PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam will contest for two NA and one provincial assembly seat in Swat and his native town Shangla district.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will contest for NA-44 in Dera Ismail Khan and will face Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Faisal Karim Kundi and PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur in the same constituency. 

In 2018, Gandapur won elections from the same constituency, while PPP’s Faisal Karim Kundi was also elected to the National Assembly from the same constituency in the past.

PTI has awarded tickets to central chairman Barrister Gohar Ali for NA-10 in Buner, central general secretary Umar Ayub Khan for NA-18 in Haripur, former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaisar Khan for NA-19 in Swabi, and Sher Afzal Marwat for NA-41 in Lakki Marwat.

ANP's central senior vice-president Ameer Haider Hoti will contest for NA-22 in Mardan, ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain for PK-89 in Nowshera, and senior leader Ghulam Ahmad Bilour for NA-32 in  Peshawar.  ANP provincial president Aimal Wali Khan will contest for NA-25 in Charssadda, while provincial general secretary of the party Sardar Hussain Babak for PK-27 Buner.

PPP has awarded tickets to its provincial president Najmuddin Khan for NA-5, Upper Dir, Anwar Saifullah Khan for NA-43, Tank, and Faisal Karim Kundi for NA-44, D I Khan.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) central amir and former senator Sirajul Haq will contest the election for the National Assembly from his native town Dir, while the provincial amir of the party, Prof Ibrahim, will contest for PK-102 Bannu, and former senior provincial minister Inayatullah Khan for PK-13, Upper Dir.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Parliamentarian (PTI-P) Chairman and former chief minister Pervez Khattak will contest for NA-33 and PK-88 from his native district Nowshera, where he had been elected to the National Assembly and provincial assembly on the PTI tickets twice. 

Similarly, former chief minister and central vice president of the PTI-P Mehmood Khan will contest for two National Assembly and one provincial assembly seat from Swat.

Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) central chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao will contest for NA-24, Charsadda, and his son Sikandar Khan Sherpao — had been elected to the provincial assembly thrice but lost to a PTI candidate in 2018 the general polls — will contest for KP Assembly from Charssadda. 

Central president of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) Mohsin Dawar will contest for NA-40, North Waziristan. Recently, Dawar's vehicle and convoy were attacked twice in the Tapi area of North Waziristan during his election campaign.

In the 2018 general elections, he was elected to the NA as an independent candidate but he was part of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) at that time and later he formed his own political party — NDM.