The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced that Sher Afzal Marwat would not be their candidate from Peshawar. The party has issued tickets to its candidates for the National and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly seats in the provincial capital for the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8.
On December 27, 2023, Taimur Khan Jhagra, a PTI leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, expressed objections to Marwat’s candidacy in Peshawar after Marwat had submitted his nomination papers for the NA-32 constituency in the city.
Jhagra stated, “It would be preferable if a leader from Peshawar contested from that constituency.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with Private TV Channel , Marwat mentioned that he had no interest in participating in the polls. “The PTI founder has instructed me to contest elections from Peshawar,” he added.
The PTI revealed that Shandana Gulzar would receive a ticket for the NA-30 seat, while Sajid Nawaz, Arbab Amir, Arbab Sher Ali, and Asif Khan would be issued tickets for various NA constituencies in Peshawar.
Conversely, Mehmood Jan, Taimur Jhagra, Kamran Bangash, Arbab Jehandad, Fazal Elahi, Hamidul Haq, Asim Khan, Mina Khan, Ali Zaman, Malik Shahab, Samiullah, Sher Ali Afridi, and Noreen Arif were announced as PTI candidates for provincial seats in Peshawar.
On January 10, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) reinstated the PTI’s electoral symbol ‘bat,’ allowing the party to contest the February 8 polls with its iconic symbol.
This decision came after the court heard the PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to declare the intra-party election null and void and revoke the “bat” symbol.
The court deemed the ECP’s decision ‘incorrect’ and instructed the electoral watchdog to issue a certificate to the PTI while suspending the decision that stripped the party of its symbol.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
