PESHAWAR: The opposition ANP and JUI-F will challenge the ruling PTI in the by-elections for 10 national and provincial assembly seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today (Sunday).

A total of 2.029 million people are eligible to participate in the polling for one National Assembly and nine provincial assembly constituencies.

In the running are 59 candidates, including seven for the National Assembly seat, NA-35, and 52 for nine provincial assembly seats.

The Election Commission of Pakistan said it had finalised arrangements for the electoral exercise and had handed over polling materials to the relevant presiding officers.

The provincial police also insisted that all security arrangements for by-polls were in place and that 12,148 policemen would be deployed in the constituencies to maintain law and order.

According to a statement issued here, the police chalked out elaborate security arrangements for the polls in line with intelligence-based reports to ensure peaceful polls.

It said of the 1,649 polling stations, 584 had been declared most sensitive.

The department has also designated a focal person for by-polls.

The statement said the quick response force and reserve force backed up by the armoured personnel carriers would be on duty, while all cops had been trained in line with the ECP directions.

2m eligible to take part in polling for 10 NA, PA seats

It added that an election monitoring cell had been set up at the Central Police Office.

Around 1.447 million voters, including 820,964 men and 626,214 women, are eligible to participate in the by-elections for nine provincial assembly seats, while 582,785 people, including 330,525 men and 252,260 women, can cast vote in by-polls for the National Assembly constituency of NA-35, Bannu.

The PTI has mostly awarded tickets to close family members of its leaders, who had vacated their respective seats to retain others also won in the July 25 general elections.

Polling will be held in NA-35 from where Prime Minister Imran Khan was elected but he later vacated the seat.

While eight candidates are contesting for the seat, the main contest is expected between the PTI and JUI-F nominees.

The PTI has fielded Naseem Ali Shah, the son of former MNA Maulana Naseeb Ali Shah, against Zahid Akram Durrani, son of former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani.

As for the provincial assembly constituencies, the by-elections will be held in PK-3 Swat, PK-7 Swat, PK-44 Swabi, PK-53 Mardan, PK-61 Nowshera, PK-64 Nowshera, PK-78 Peshawar, and PK-97 and PK-99 DI Khan.

In PK-78 and PK-99, the July 25 elections were postponed due to the killing of candidates Haroon Ahmad Bilour of the ANP and Ikramullah Khan Gandapur of the PTI respectively in suicide bombings.

In PK-78 Peshawar, the late Haroon Bilour’s wife Samar Haroon Bilour is the ANP’s candidate along with 11 others. The main contest is expected between her and PTI nominee Mohammad Irfan.

Similarly, the late Ikramullah Gandapur’s son, Aghaz Ikramullah Gandapur, is the PTI’s candidate for PK-99 DI Khan seat. The 11 other candidates include Obaidur Rehman of JUI-F, former MNA Dawar Khan Kundi, former MPA Fatehullah Khan and PML-N’s Mohammad Akbar Khan.

In PK-3 Swat, Haider Ali Khan was elected MNA on July 25 but he vacated that seat, while the PK-7 Swat seat was vacated by Dr Amjid Ali, who retained the other provincial assembly seat also won by him.

PK-44 Swabi fell vacant after Asad Qaiser, now the National Assembly speaker, retained his National Assembly seat.

Three candidates are in the running, including Asad Qaiser’s brother Aqibullah Khan, ANP’s Ghulam Hassan and independent candidate Shehzad Ali Khan.

ANP’s Amir Haider Hoti had vacated his provincial assembly seat, PK-53 Mardan, after retaining the NA seat also won by him in July 25 elections.

Six candidates are contesting by-polls for the seat, including Ahmad Khan of the ANP and Mohammad Abdul Salam of the PTI.

Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, was also elected on two provincial assembly seats in Nowshera’s PK-61 and PK-64 and had vacated these seats.

Pervez Khattak’s son, Mohammad Ibrahim Khattak, is awarded the PTI ticket for PK-61.

In a one-on-one contest, he will face Noor Alam Khan of the ANP.

Similarly, Pervez’s brother, Liaquat Khan, is the PTI candidate for PK-64 seats. He will be challenged by Mohammad Shahid of the ANP.

Another federal minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, had vacated his provincial assembly seat, PK-97 DI Khan, to retain the NA seat also won by him.

His brother, Faisal Amin Khan, is contesting the by-elections on the PTI ticket against six other candidates, including Obaidur Rehman of the JUI-F and Farhan Afzal Malik of the Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians.

Unlike the general elections in which judicial officers mostly served as the district returning officers and returning officers, in the by-elections different categories of election officers, including regional election commissioners and district election commissioners, have been appointed as DROs and ROs.

The ECP has already announced that the personnel of Pakistan Army and civil armed forces will be deployed inside and outside all polling stations from Oct 12 to Oct 15.

It has also empowered designated officers of the Pakistan Army and civil armed forces to act as magistrate of the first class for entire duration of their deployment in respect of offences punishable under Section 169 and 171 of the Elections Act, 2017.

Similarly, the district returning officers and the returning officers have also been assigned powers of the magistrate first class in relation to the said two categories of offences.

The ECP has also issued a code of conduct for the security personnel deployed for election duties. The security personnel have been directed not to assume the duties of polling staff in any case; and not to take into his/ her custody any election material including ballot papers, electoral rolls, ballot boxes, etc.; and, not to interfere in any manner whatsoever in the function of presiding officer, assistant presiding officer or polling officer.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2018