LAKKI MARWAT - Former federal minister and head of Marwat Ittehad Group Salim Saifullah Khan who had earlier announced to contest the upcoming general elections as an independent candidate for NA-36 has now decided to withdraw from election race and let the field open for young aspirants.
The decision was taken in a bid to keep the alliance between Marwat Ittehad Group and PTI intact and let the new faces try their luck in the electoral process. The local PTI office bearers had opposed supporting Salim Saifullah Khan as an independent candidate for National Assembly constituency.
“If Salim Saifullah Khan wants to win elections with the support of PTI workers he will have to jump into polls arena with a PTI ticket,” a local PTI leader said. He said that the local leadership was not happy over the electoral alliance with Marwat Ittehad Group and supporting Saifullah as an independent candidate in coming elections.
“We will press the high command of the party to field its own candidate for NA-36 or ask Salim Saifullah to be the contender of PTI for the National Assembly constituency,” he added.
A source close to Saifullah says that the former federal minister had convened a meeting of area elders, PTI office bearers, local bodies’ members and supportors at his residence in Ghaznikhel to discuss poll strategy for the coming national elections.
Former MNAs Humayun Saifullah Khan and Ghulamuddin Khan, former federal minister Anwar Saifullah Khan and political elite of the district attended the meeting. PPP Central Executive Committee member and former federal minister Anwar Saifullah Khan and former MNA Humayun Saifullah Khan are also not in the race for national or provincial assembly seats.
The influential Saifullah family is also not in a mood to field its young family members including former Senator Osman Saifullah Khan and Jehangir Saifullah Khan.
“During the meeting Salim Saifullah Khan expressed his desire to bring new and young faces for NA-36 on PTI ticket,” according to a source, adding that Saifullah brothers will finalise the name of the contender for the National Assembly seat in a couple of days.
The source said that the Saifullahs would pick one among the two aspirants including former district nazim Ishfaq Ahmad Khan Meenakhel and Barrister Sher Afzal Khan to fight for the lone National Assembly seat on a PTI ticket.
PTI BOARD NAMES CANDIDATES FROM LAKKI
The parliamentary board of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has named its candidates for the three provincial assembly seats of the district bringing an end to speculations and confusion among party workers.
According to party sources, Johar Muhammad Khan was awarded ticket to contest elections from PK-91 Lakki Marwat-I. He is a close relative of PTI’s former MNA Col (Retd) Ameerullah Khan Marwat.
Former district nazim Ishfaq Ahmad Khan Meenakhel, former federal secretary Akhtar Munir Marwat, PTI’s district vice president Dr Muhammad Iqbal and Barrister Sher Afzal Khan had also applied for a ticket for the same constituency. Meenakhel and Afzal are now vying to get PTI ticket for National Assembly constituency NA-36.
An elder of Meenakhel tribe, Akhtar Munir Marwat who was denied PTI ticket is likely to contest the elections as an independent candidate.
For PK-92 Lakki Marwat-II, PTI has awarded ticket to Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan who is the cousin of Saifullah brothers.
Former MNA Naseer Muhammad Khan Maidadkhel’s nephew Tariq Saeed Maidadkhel will be the PTI contender from PK-93 Lakki Marwat-III as he has been awarded party ticket by the parliamentary board.
Ghulam Mursalin Marwat