PESHAWAR - Due to poor performance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf former members National Assembly elected from the provincial metropolis, none of them could secure tickets for the upcoming general elections, except Amir Ayub, while several former MPAs and new party entrants were accommodated to contest for the National Assembly seats.

Those who secured tickets for National Assembly include former PPP MNA Noor Alam Khan from NA-27, Peshawar-I, Arbab Amir Ayub, NA-28, Peshawar-II, Shah Farman NA-29, Peshawar-III, Sher Ali Arbab, NA-30, Peshawar-IV and Shaukat Ali NA-31, Peshawar-V.

Those who were skipped include former MNA Sajid Nawaz from erstwhile NA-3 and Hamid-ul-Haq from former NA-2. As per the local voters, if the same candidates were allotted tickets from the same constituencies, it was difficult for them to win as they had not seen their elected MNAs during the last 5 years.

Talking to the Nation, a resident of NA-2, Shakeel Ahmad, said that he had not seen their MNA while they only voted for the PTI for change in 2013 general elections but unfortunately, the PTI former MNAs betrayed them and their elected MNAs even did not attend their funerals. He said that if Hamid-ul-Haq had been allotted ticket, he could not win the seat as he was not actively engaged with the area people.

Another resident, Wajid Ali of the same constituency, told this scribe that he did not know Hamid-ul-Haq but saw him in a video when son of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi scuffled with him inside the Parliament House building. He said that during the last 5 years, he neither visited a single school nor kept in touch with the area people. The former MNA also did not make any efforts to resolve any of the problems faced by the people including load shedding, the resident said.

Similar is the case of former MNA Sajid Nawaz who was elected from NA-3, Peshawar. He won his seat during the 2013 general elections as the PTI activists were enthusiastic to bring new faces in the country politics but this time they had pledged not to support Sajid Nawaz if he was allotted ticket.  However, the PTI leadership this time fielded a popular candidate and former PPP MNA Noor Alam Khan to contest the election from NA-27, Peshawar. Noor Alam Khan is popular in the constituency as he had made successful efforts for provision of Sui gas to the far-flung areas of Peshawar.

A resident of the area, Asad Khan, told the Nation that it was good choice for PTI as Noor Alam Khan was widely respected in NA-27, who, he said, was expected to get votes from this constituency on the basis of his past performance for the people of the area.

For NA-29, ticket was allotted to Shah Farman, former KP minister for information, who also has good reputation after utilising funds for the people of his constituency. Shah Farman has also installed solar systems in various mosques of his area and also improved the sanitation system for clean drinking water supply. On this constituency, the PTI will again face JUI-F as top contender where in previous elections the PTI had secured 67,214 votes while Haji Ghulam Ali of the JUI-F had secured 27,987 votes.

On NA-27, the PTI will face Awami National Party’s candidate Ghulam Bilour who is an arch rival of PTI on this constituency as the ANP is the only party which has meaningful vote bank in the area. On NA-28, the PTI will face Maulana Saeed Jan of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl, who was runner up after PTI in the 2013 general elections. Backed by MMA, the alliance of religious political parties, Maulana Saeed Jan is expected to give tough time to the PTI’s Arbab Amir Ayub in this constituency. 

On NA-30, the PTI’s Sher Ali Arbab will face Ameer Muqam who will replace Nasir Musazai as the PML-N candidate. Musazai recently joined PTI and secured ticket for PK-79 where the PML-N has handsome vote bank.

Shaukat Ali has secured PTI ticket to contest for NA-31, the newly-carved out constituency of National Assembly. NA-31 has mixed vote and tough contest is expected on this constituency.