LOWER DIR: The embattled Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf received another blow when returning officers rejected nomination papers of the party’s 11 former lawmakers, including two MNAs, for the Feb 8 elections in different districts on Sunday.

Six former PTI legislators, including ex-MNAs Bashir Khan and Syed Mehboob Shah, were among those who couldn’t clear the scrutiny process in Lower Dir.

Papers of Bashir Khan and Syed Mehboob were rejected from NA-6 and NA-7.

However, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq’s nomination papers for NA-6 were accepted.

Of the total 68 candidates having submitted nominations for both the NA seats, 55 were cleared.

In PK-14, Lower Dir-1, out of 35 aspirants, nomination papers of two candidates, including former PTI MPA Mohammad Azam Khan, were rejected.

JI chief Siraj, PTI’s Sher Afzal, Saifullahs cleared in scrutiny

In PK-15, nomination papers of 10 candidates out of 42, including ex-PTI MPA Humayun Khan, were rejected.

In PK-16, nominations of four candidates, including Malik Shafiullah Khan, another former PTI MPA, out of 27 candidates, were rejected.

In PK-17, nominations of five candidates, including a woman, were rejected while nominations of 32 candidates were accepted.

Nomination papers of only one candidate – former MPA Malik Liaqat Ali of PTI – were rejected in PK-18, where 20 candidates are in the running.

In Bajaur, five PTI nominees for Feb 8 elections, including four former lawmakers, were rejected by the respective returning officers on Sunday.

Sources in the district election office and PTI told Dawn former lawmakers, including Gul Dad Khan, Gul Zafar Khan, Eng Ajmal Khan and former provincial minister Anwarzeb Khan, were among those whose nomination papers were rejected.

The sources said nomination papers of Gul Dad, Gul Zafar, Hamidur Rahman, and Anwarzeb were rejected for the lone National Assembly seat, NA-8.

Similarly, nomination papers of Eng Ajmal Khan and Anwarzeb were rejected for PK-21 and PK-20, respectively.

However, PTI sources said nomination papers of Rehan Zeb Khan, Akhtar Gul and Shafiullah for the NA seat had been accepted.

They said nomination papers of Sikandarzeb, a son of Anwarzeb, and Hamidur Rahman were also accepted for PK-20 and PK-19 seats.

Meanwhile, nomination papers of candidates belonging to other political parties were accepted for NA-8 and four PA seats in Bajaur.

They included Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed of JI, Shahabuddin Khan of PML-N, Sayed Akhunzada Chattan of PPP, Maulana Khan Zeb of ANP, Maulana Abdur Rasheed of JUI-F and ANP district president Gul Afzal Khan.

Meanwhile, former federal minister Salim Saifullah Khan, his brother Anwar Saifullah Khan and nephew Osman Saifullah Khan were among scores of aspirants whose nomination papers were accepted in Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts.

Nomination papers of Salim Saifullah were approved from NA-41, Lakki Marwat. Anwar Saifullah and Osman Saifullah were also cleared from NA-41 and PK-06 and PK-107, respectively.

Nomination papers of Sher Afzal Marwat, former district nazim Ishfaq Ahmad Khan and Dr Iqbal affiliated with PTI, were approved from NA-41 and PK-105.

Johar Mohammad of PTI, Mansoor Kamal of PML-N, former provincial minister Dr Hisham Inamullah and former MPAs Munawar Khan of JUI-F and Zafrullah Khan were cleared for PK-105.

Osama Aslam, a nephew of former MPA Malik Noor Salim, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah of TLP, former MNA Maulana Mohammad Anwar and Maulana Asghar Ali of JUI-F, Mohammad Salim of PTI, Dr Hisham Inamullah and Fawad Zakori were among those whose election documents were accepted from PK-106.

Malik Ali Sarwar of ANP, Iqbal Hussain of PPP, Amnirzada of QWP, Fawad Raza, Tariq Saed of PTI, Sahibzada Sibghatullah and Zafrullah Khan were also cleared from PK-107.

A woman aspirant, Naila Khan affiliated with PTI from NA-41, was also cleared.

Other candidates whose nominations were accepted from the NA seat, included former

MNA Amirullah and Tariq Saeed, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s son Maulana Asjad Mehmood, Mansoor Kamal Marwat and Akhtar Munir Marwat.

The nominations of former MPA Malik Noor Salim and his elder brother, Malik Noor Aslam Khan were turned down from NA-41 and PK-106 and PK-107.

The Malik family of Lakki had joined PTI before the dissolution of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly last year.

Zahid Durrani of JUI-F, Maulana Syed Naseem Ali Shah of PTI, Pir Syed Qaisar Abbas Shah of PTI-P, Mohammad Ibrahim of JI, Yasmeen Safdar and Farzana Sherin of PPP were cleared from NA-39 (Bannu).

Former chief minister Akram Durrani was also cleared from PK-100 and PK-102.

Former provincial minister Malik Shah Mohammad of PTI, former MPA Malik Adnan Khan Wazir of JUI-F and Pir Wajid Ali Shah were cleared from PK-101.

Published in Dawn, january 1st, 2024