FATA polls: Trends show PTI, Independents set to win lion’s share

Islamabad, July 21 (IANS) Polling for election on 16 seats of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly from the erstwhile Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan has ended and trends suggest that Independents and PTI candidates are leading on five seats each.

Final results are yet to be declared as counting is underway on the remaining seats but trends show five of the 13 seats going to Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party while Independents are also leading on five other seats, as per Radio Pakistan.

PTI candidates include Anwar Zeb Khan, Ajmal Khan, Syed Iqbal Mian, Abid Rehman and Muhammad Iqbal Khan.

Independent candidates including Abbas Rehman, Shafiq Afridi, Bilawal Afridi, Muhammad Shafique Khan and Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal are also leading in five seats.

Nisar Mohmand of the Awami National Party (ANP), Muhammad Riaz of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur) and Sirajuddin of the Jamaat-e-Islami are leading on one seat each.

Sixteen seats went to the polls on Saturday. A total of 285 candidates, including two women, are in the fray. Out of these 201 are Independents. As many as 1,985 polling booths were set up for these polls.

Terming the polls historic, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Special Assistant on Media Affairs Iftikhar Durrani said these elections will help bring peace in the region.

According to the Provincial Election Commission, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the polling was held in a peaceful and transparent manner. Tight security measures were taken for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere.

FATA was ruled directly by Pakistan's president under British-era colonial laws until last year, when the territories were merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by a constitutional amendment.

The move fulfilled a long-standing demand in the tribal districts, home to some five million people.