Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf announces candidates for national and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly seats from Peshawar
Islamabad: Ahead of the general elections set to be held on February 8, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced the names of its candidates for national and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies' seats from Peshawar, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.
Shandana Gulzar is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) candidate from the NA-30 constituency. Sajid Nawaz, Arbab Amir, Arbab Sher Ali and Asif Khan will be contesting from PTI in different constituencies of Peshawar.
The PTI said it will not give a ticket to Sher Afzal Marwat in Peshawar. PTI's decision comes after its party leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Taimur Khan Jhagra on December 27, 2023, raised objections over Marwat contesting elections from Peshawar after the latter had submitted his nomination papers for the NA-32 constituency in Peshawar.
"It would be better if a leader from Peshawar contested from that constituency," Jhagra had said, according to Geo News report.
Speaking to Geo News, Sher Afzal Marwat had said he had no interest in contesting the polls. He further said, "The PTI founder has directed me to contest elections from Peshawar."
Meanwhile, PTI said Ali Zaman, Malik Shahab, Samiullah, Sher Ali Afridi, Mehmood Jan, Taimur Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, Arbab Jehandad, Noreen Arif, Fazal Elahi, Hamidul Haq, Asim Khan, Mina Khan and Fazal Elahi will get PTI tickets for provincial seats in Peshawar, according to Geo News report.
On January 10, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) restored the PTI's electoral symbol, 'bat' paving the way for the party to contest polls with its symbol in elections scheduled for February 8.
The decision was announced after the hearing of PTI's petition challenging the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan, declaring the intra-party election as null and void and revoking their electoral symbol 'bat'. In its verdict, the court called the ECP's decision 'incorrect'.
After the verdict, the court ordered the ECP to issue a certificate to the PTI and suspended the decision that revoked the symbol of the party, Geo News reported.
On January 3, the PHC revoked the stay order and restored the ECP decision to declare PTI intra-party polls null and void and strip it of its election symbol bat.
A single-member bench comprising Justice Ejaz Khan announced the reserved verdict on a review plea filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the December 26 single-member bench order.
On December 22, the ECP nullified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's intra-party elections, for the third time since last year, declaring the PTI ineligible for obtaining its traditional electoral symbol of 'bat', as per ARY News report.
The ECP in its verdict said: "So keeping in view the clear mandate of Elections Act 2017 - it is held that PTI has not complied with our directions rendered therein order dated 23rd November, 2023 and failed to hold intra-party election in accordance with PTI prevailing Constitution 2019 and Elections Act 2017, and Election Rules, 2017. Therefore, the certificate dated 4th December, 2023 and Form-65 filed by the alleged chairman, is hereby regretted and rejected accordingly".
