PESHAWAR: Aimal Wali Khan, son of Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, was elected president of the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter unopposed.

Mr Aimal, the grandson of late Khan Abdul Wali Khan, represents the fourth generation of the Bacha Khan dynasty. He replaced his first cousin and MNA, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, who had also served as the province’s chief minister. Mr Aimal was elected the party’s provincial deputy general secretary in 2014.

“Aimal was declared the provincial president of the party unopposed as no candidate filed nomination papers for the slot,” said a senior leader of the ANP.

The ANP had announced schedule for the election of its provincial cabinet and set April 4 as the last date for submitting nomination papers.

The party sources said no member filed nomination papers for the slot of the provincial president and therefore, Aimal Wali was elected to it unopposed.

They said elections for other slots of the provincial cabinet scheduled to be held at the party’s central secretariat on April 10. Aimal Wali entered parliamentary politics in 2017 and contested the provincial assembly’s election from Charsadda, his home district. He lost his first election against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate.

The party will hold election for its central cabinet on May 2.

Sources said Ameer Haider Hoti was likely to replace incumbent ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan, who was also his uncle.

They said senior Wali had planned to quit parliamentary politics before contesting general elections in July 2018.

“Asfandyar Wali had decided to leave parliamentary politics before general election owing to health condition,” said a source.

He said like his father Khan Abdul Wali Khan, the party might declare Asfandyar Rehber-i-Tehreek of the ANP.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2019