Ruling PTI managed to get five, Ind seven seats in Newly merged Tribal areas

Pakistan Tehrik Insaf has emerged as the largest political force in the election for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in tribal districts by winning five seats
According to unofficial results of all sixteen provincial assembly seats from tribal districts, PTI secured five, Jamiat Ulema Islam (F) won three seats, Awami National Party and Jamaat-e-Islami won one seat each. Six independent candidates were elected in the first ever elections in .In the hotly-contested polls, candidates from all political parties, including the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), Awami National Party (ANP) competed for 16 provincial assembly seats. .

According to the ECP,  the ruling PTI fielded 16 candidates in the race, JUI-Fazl (JUI-F) 15, ANP 14, PPP 13, JI 13, PML-N 5, QWP 3 JUI-Sami (JUI-S) 2, PSPK 2, while 202 are running as independents.
According to unofficial and unverified results received from PK-100, Bajaur-I, PTI's Anwar Zeb Khan was declared successful. He grabbed 13,160 votes, followed by Waheed Gul of Jamaat-e-Islami with 11,694 votes.

PTI's Ajmal Khan was declared winner from PK-101, Bajaur-II. He bagged 12,204 votes, followed by Jamaat-e-Islami's Haroon-ur-Rashid who got 10,448. 

According to the unofficial and unverified results of PK-102, Bajaur-III, Jamaat-e-Islami's Siraj-ud-Din was declared successful with 19,088 votes, followed by Hamid-ur-Rehman with 13,436 votes. 

From PK-103, Mohmand-I, ANP's Nisar Ahmed was announced successful with 11,218 votes, followed by PTI's Rahim Shah with 10,314 votes,  according to the unofficial and unverified results.

According to unofficial and unverified results from PK-104, Mohmand-II, independent candidate Abbas-ur-Rehman bagged 11,751 votes, followed by JUI-F's Muhammed Arif, who got 9,801 votes. 

Results from all 110 polling stations in PK-105, Khyber-I have been received by Geo News. Shafiq Afridi got 19,524 votes to win the seat, followed by independent candidate Shairmat Khan with 10,744. 

From the same constituency for the National Assembly, the federal minister Noorul Haq Qadri was elected in the recent general elections. However, in this election for the provincial assembly, his opponent was elected.

In PK-106, Khyber-II, independent candidate Bilal Afridi was declared successful with 12,800 votes, followed by Amir Muhammed Khan Afridi with 6521 votes. 

The JUI's Muhammed Riaz got 12,138 votes, followed by independent candidate Jamil Khan with 11,431 votes, according to unofficial and unverified results received from PK-108, Kurram-1. 

PTI's Syed Iqbal Mian bagged 39,539 votes from PK-109, Kurram-II, according to unofficial and unverified results. Independent candidate Inayat Hussain is the runner-up with 22,975 votes. 

Another independent candidate Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal obtained 18,540 votes from PK-110, Orakzai, followed by PTI's Shoaib Hasan 14,699 votes. 

PTI's Abid-ur-Rehman bagged 20,699 votes in PK-115, ex-Frontier Region. JUI's Muhammed Shoaib got 18,373 votes to be runner-up. 

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), a total of 285 candidates, including two women, are competing for the 16 provincial assembly seats.Political parties

Voters in PK-112 Bannu began polling amid tight security arrangements at the Government Degree College-II. Three polling stations were set up in the college to facilitate 10,000 voters.

Polling was also held in two constituencies of the Kurram district in Parachinar.The Sikh community cast votes in Peshawar, Orakzai and Khyber districts. Over 300 Sikh voters from Peshawar and Hasan Abdal took part in the balloting.A total of 2.8 million voters from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) took part in the first polls after being merged with Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa (K-P) province in line with the 25th constitutional amendment passed by parliament last year. Earlier, the residents of Fata were only allowed to take part in the country’s lower house polls

Residents exercised their right to vote for the first time to elect representatives with 16 general seats of the provincial assembly up for grabs.

K-P Governor Shah Farman congratulated locals over successful holding of the first-ever elections in the merged tribal districts.

In a statement issued after conclusion of the voting, the governor said that the last phase of Fata merger has been completed today. “Now the new era of progress and development would begin in the merged areas… this is a historic day which will guarantee socio-economic development of the tribal people,” he added.

Governor Farman lauded the tribal people for demonstrating political maturity throughout the election process. “The entire credit for peaceful conduct of the election goes to the Pakistan Army,” he said, adding that the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeded in the elections.

Interestingly, while all major opposition parties are at loggerheads with the PTI-led government in the centre, they have opted for individual campaigns in these elections.

People across the newly-merged tribal districts unanimously agree on the historic value of today’s elections.

Polling

Of the 2.8 million voters, 1.67 million men and 1.13 million women, are eligible to vote to elect their representatives for the provincial assembly.  The voting took place under tight security at 1,896 polling stations, of which 482 are for men, 376 for women, and 1,038 are combined.

In addition to 16 seats, there are fivereserved seats – four for women and 1 for minorities – which will be filled in line with the number of votes each party attains in the general polls.

Bajaur district consists of the largest number of voters which is 534,003 followed by Khyber district, which has 532,087 voters. Three seats each have been allocated for the two districts.

Special powers

The election commission gave district returning officer (DRO) and returning officers (RO), the authority of magistrate under which, they were able to take actions against violators of the code of law.

According to the notification issued by the poll body, the district returning officers (DRO) and returning officers (RO) under Election Commission Act 2017 were given the authority of a first-level magistrate. They will enjoy the authority until the announcement of the results.

Paying rich tribute to the armed forces and tribal people for their unmatched sacrifices against menace of terrorism, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said, “Peace has clean swept elections in tribal districts.”

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Dr Firdous said that sacrifices of tribal people are bearing fruit today. She said that the tribal people for the first time exercised their right to vote for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly seats and added that all the political parties were given equal opportunities for the polls.

Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said successful holding of elections in erstwhile FATA today demonstrated that tribal people voted in large numbers to exercise their constitutional and democratic right. She said the government remained neutral during the whole election process.

Referring to role of opposition parties in the country, she said the gang devoid of political maturity is spreading fake and poisonous propaganda to mislead people but it will not work.

She said no final report has been prepared yet of the forensic audit of an alleged video and any news in this regard is false. Replying to a question, she said Prime Minister Imran Khan has time and again reiterated that process of accountability will continue at every cost and there will be NRO for anyone. She said law will take its course in dealing with the corruption cases.She concluded that the government wants the courts to work without any pressure or influence.

The official said the ECP had printed 2,891,000 ballot papers for 2,801,834 voters.

According to updated electoral rolls, in PK-100 Bajaur-I total voters are 156,237, out of which male voters are 94,937 and female voters are 61,300, PK-101 Bajaur-II, total voters are 161,047, male voters 94,349 and female voters 66,698, PK-102 Bajaur-II total voters 216,719, male voters 125,358 and female voters are 91,361, PK-103 Mohmand –I total voters 110,477, male voters 68,469, female voters 42,008, PK-104 Mohmand-II total voters 170,022, male voters 106,749, female voters 63,273, PK-105 Khyber-I total voters 167, 484, male voters 94,514, female voters 72,970, PK-106, Khyber-II total voters 148,470, male voters 82,818, female voters 65,652, PK-107, Khyber-III total voters 216,133, male voters 123,683, female voters 92,450, PK-108, Kurram-I total voters 172,897, male voters 99,534, female voters 73,363, PK-109, Kurram-II total voters 187, 844, male voters 105,284, female voters 82,560, PK-110, Orakzai total voters 196,436, male voters 110,741, female voters 85,695, PK-111, North Waziristan-I total voters 141,053, male voters 92,845, female voters 48,208, PK-112, North Waziristan-II total voters 179,124, male voters 117,811, female voters 61,313, PK-113, South Waziristan-1 total voters 218,835, male voters 122,197, female voters 96,638, PK-114, South Waziristan-II total voters 167,994, male voters 115,572, female voters 52,422 and PK-115, ex Frontier Regions total voters 191,062, male votes 116444, female voters  74,618.