Peshawar   -  A total of 16 candidates are in the run for the slot of Peshawar mayorship in the local government elections scheduled for December 19, 2021.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has allotted the party ticket to Rizwan Bangash, Awami National Party has fielded Haji Sher Rehman, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F has nominated Haji Zubair Ali, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate is Bahrullah advocate, Pakistan People’s Party has fielded Arbab Zarak Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-N has fielded Nek Zada, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal has given ticket to Shoaib Khan, while Rah-e-Haq Party has fielded Muhammad Nawaz Khan.

The independent candidates for the slot include Ziaullah Afridi, Amin Jan, Shamsher Khan, Amir Iqbal Khalil, Kifayatullah, Muhammad Ibrahim, Muhammad Siddique Paracha, and Nadeem Khan.

Meanwhile, several activists of PTI have objected to the PTI candidate for Peshawar tehsil mayorship as they said the candidate originally hails from Orakzai district. A video was recently circulated on the social media, criticizing the PTI for nominating a candidate from outside of Peshawar.

However, PTI’s former district nazim Asim Khan said that the candidate Rizwan Bangash belongs to Peshawar in the sense that his family has been settled in the provincial capital for decades.

Speaking to The Nation, Election Commission’s spokesman   said that elections for all tiers, i.e. tehsil, neighbourhood and village councils would be held on the same day.

“Tehsils are important tier in the system as these bodies generate all revenue through taxes and other accounts,” he added. He also rejected the claim that LG representatives would have lesser autonomy under the new system this time.