PML leading in LB Polls of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan
By Nasreen Aslam - Pakistan Times Staff Correspondent

LAHORE: The Election Commission on Friday announced unofficial results of 1,500 union councils and turnout of the first phase of local bodies elections held in 53 districts across the country on August-18.

The ruling party is taking an overall lead. Formal official results are going to be announced today, Saturday.

The commission has so far received results of 1,500 out of total 3,032 union council seats. These include 88 of Punjab, 90 of Sindh, 198 of NWFP and 26 of Balochistan.

Preliminary figures, the turnout in Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan remained 48, 47, 38 and 33 per cent, respectively. The turnout of women voters remained high in Punjab as compared to other provinces, which is around 70.38 per cent.

According to the results received so far, the candidates of PML (Q) in Punjab, PPP and PML (Q) in interior Sindh, MQM in Karachi, Jama’at-i-Islami and JUI (F) in NWFP and PML (Q), BNP and Awam Dost Panel in Balochistan have won their respective seats.

Baluchistan

A report from Quetta says that PML (Q) has emerged as the largest party in the first phase of Local Bodies elections by bagging majority of seats in nine of 14 districts while Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) in three and nationalists in two districts.

According to unofficial results received so far from the districts, PML (Q)-backed candidates won elections in nine districts that include Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Bolan, Naushki, Awaran, Gwadar, Kharan,Sibi and Barkhan.

The districts in which Jamiat took lead in the polls are Killa Saifullah, Ziarat and Pishin while the nationalists National Party and Balochistan National Party (Mengal) bagged majority of the seats in Khuzdar and Mastung districts.

The tough fight took place between nationalist forces and an alliance comprising govt backed BNP(Awami), and PML(Q) and Zikri community.

The alliance took a lead in nine UCs while BNP-NP received seats in 3 UCs while an independent panel comprising fishermen and some individuals captured majority of the seats in one UC.

PML(Q)-backed Jamali group, led by former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, gave a good fight to alliance of all tiny parties and Umranis of PPP and Khosos in both districts of Naseerabad and Jaffarabad. The details about position party wise of the UCs are yet to be received.

In Sibi district, Dombki group of PML(Q) bagged majority votes in 5 UCs while Sibi local alliance, JUI(F) and ANP gained most of the seats in 3 each UCs while Rind group in 2 UCs and Marri group and independent in one UC each.

In Bolan district, PML(Q) received most of the seats in 20 UCs out of 24 while all 7 UCs of Kharan district. Here Al-Fatah panel of Sardar Fatah Mohammad Hasani of PML(Q) MNA won in 5 UCs while Nausherwani group of Balochistan Home Minister Mir Shoaib Nausherwani won in two UCs.

In Naushki Mengal group of PML(Q) led by former Governor Balochistan Justice(Retd) Amir Ul Mulk Mengal won in 3 UCs while an alliance comprising nationalist parties and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam(F) bagged majority of seats in 4 UCs and one each was captured by Badini and Mohammad Hasani groups, both PML(Q) and Independent.

In Barkhan district, the PML(Q) panel of Sardar Abdur Rahman Khaithran, the former PML(Q) minister won in 5 Ucs while 3UCs went to the panel of Mir Baz Mohammad Khaithran of PPP and independents.

In Awaran,Bizenjo-Muhammad Hasani panel of PML(Q) won in 5 UCs while National Party group in 3 UCs and BNP(Mengal) in one UC.

Jamiat Ulema Islam(Fazl), the second larger party of PML(Q) led ruling coalition of Balochistan swept in all 15 UCs of Killah Saifullah district, the home constituency of party’s senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasey.

In Ziarat it also won in 5 UCs and PML(Q) in while Pashtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party in 2 UCs.

In Pishin district Jamiat swept in 19 UCs, Kakar group of PML(Q) in 5 UCs, PMAP in 6 Ucs and Independent groups in 7 UCs.

National Party led by Dr. Abdul Hai Baloch won in 6 UCs of Mastung district, BNP and PPP each in 2 UCs and Independents in 3 UCs.

In Khuzdar district 10 UCs, the majority, were bagged by Balochistan National Party(Mengal), 7 by National Party, 2 by BNP(Awami), 3 by PML(Q) and one by Jamiat. The results of the 12 Ucs are yet to be received.

NWFP

And in the NWFP, the Jama’at-i-Islami backed al-Khidmat group secured its overall lead in Peshawar by grabbing 27 seats, closely followed by Watan Dost group of ANP with 23 seats.

While Awam Dost group of PPP is on third position by clinching only 17 slots of nazim out of the total 92 Union Councils in the first phase of Local Bodies elections held here on Thursday last.

Besides, 11 other independent candidates have also been declared as winners; while JUI (F) backed Muttahida group has also secured nine posts, PPP (Sherpao) and Watan Nawaz group of PML (N) two seats each and Tehrik-e-Insaaf group just one slot out of 92 Union Council in Peshawar district.

The un-officials results collected from different sources till filing this story confirmed that victory of Atta Ullah Jan candidate of al-Khidmat group backed by Jamaat-e-Islami won nazim seat of Regi-Lalma Union Council, while Waris Khan as naib nazim, Akmal Khan contender of Awami National Party (ANP)s backed Watan Dost group succeeded in nazim post of UC Salman Khel and Falak Niaz as naib nazim, Bashir Ahmad nazim Abid Ali naib nazim UC Shahi Bala al-Khidmat group, Khalid Mehmud nazim Salim Khan naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Malakandher, Muhammad Hassan nazim Younis Khan naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Mera Sorizai, Haji Abdul Malik nazim Muhammad Ibrar naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Adezai, Khalid Gul nazim Abdul Waheed naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Yakatoot, Haji Shakirullah nazim Ghulam Mohammad naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Shaheen Muslim Town, Syed Amin nazim Walayat Shah naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Sherkera, Javid Khan nazim Siyal Khan naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Musazai, Engineer Mohammad Usman nazim Mohammad Riazul Haq naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Hayatabad-I, Haji Mohammad Ashraf nazin Hidayatullah naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Hayatabad-II, Malik Bakht Naseer nazim Anwar Saeed naib nazim (Independent panel) UC Larama, Asif nazim Nasim Ul Haq naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Khazana, Imtiaz Khan nazim Zar Syed Bacha al-Khidmat group UC Jogni, Shamsul Bari nazim UC Daag, Ejaz Khalil nazim (Independent) Farmanullah naib nazim (Muttahida) UC Pishtakhara, Niaz Mohmand nazim Haji Noor Jamal naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Yakatoot-II, Kifayatullah nazim Shah Nawaz naib nazim Watan Nawaz group UC Hasan Ghari, Noor Rehman nazim Dost Mohammad naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Wazir Bagh, Haji Dost Mohammad nazim Malik Perviz naib nazim Al-Khidmat group UC Shahi Bala-II, Malik Ali Safi nazim Mian Iftikharuddin naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Ander Sher, Noor Rahim nazim Javid Khan naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Shaheen Muslim Town-II, Asif Baghi nazim, Niamat Khan naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Notia Jadeed, Allah Dad nazim Raz Mohammad Saifi naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Akhundabad, Gul Bashar nazim Mohammad Ayaz naib nazim Mutahida group UC Palosai, Arbab Mohammad Tariq nazim Awam Dost Arbab Altaf Qadir (Watan Dost) UC Tehkal Bala, Atifullah Ullah nazim (Watan Dost) Mohammad Riaz Khalil (al-Khidmat) UC Tehkal Payan, Asad Khan nazim (Independent), Ghulam Hussain naib nazim (Watan Dost) UC Mattani, Jehanzeb Khan nazim (Independent) Mujeeb Khan naib nazim (Watan Dost) UC Mathra, Maj (r) Mohammad Iqbal nazim, Danish Khan naib nazim Watan Dost group and UC Masho Gagar, Amjad Ali nazim, Nasim Khan naib nazim Watan Dost group.
UC Badhber, Misbah Ali Shah nazim (Awam Dost), Jafar Ali Shah (al-Khidmat group) UC Wadpaga, Abid Ali Shah nazim Sohail Khan naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Lala Kalay, Haji Almas Khan nazim (Awam Dost) Fazl Ullah naib nazim (al-Khidmat) UC Sarband, Alam Ahmad nazim, Liaqat Ali naib nazim Al-Khidmat group UC Takhtabad, Fayyaz Ali Shah nazim Mohammad Zaman naib nazim Al-Khidmat group UC Kakshal-I, Syed Musarrat Hussain nazim (Independent) Safir Ullah naib nazim (Al-Khidmat) UC Kankola, Mohammad Irshad Ahmad nazim Malik Jameel naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Lahori, Gul Badshah nazim (Tehrik-I-Insaaf group) Tilla Mohammad (al-Khidmat group) UC Khalisa-II, Asif Ullah Qasmi nazim (Indefendent) naib nazim Ashfaq Ahmad (al-Khidmat) UC Arbab Landai, Dr Liaqat Ali Khan nazim (al-Khidmat) Ali Shah naib nazim (Watan Dost) UC Asia Gate, Tehmas Khan nazim (Awam Dost) Masil Khan naib nazim (al-Khidmat) UC Haryana Payan, Ejaz Ahmad nazim Naeem Ullah naib nazim UC Ghari Sherdad, Qazi Hassan nazim Faiz Mohammad naib nazim Watan Dost UC Shiekhan, Mohammad Zahir Advocate nazim Javid Khan naib nazim UC Notia-Qadeem, Mehmud Jan nazim Insan Ahmad naib nazim (Independent panel) UC Kapoor Dheri, Mohammad Jamil nazim Sami Ullah Afridi naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Pachagi, Kifayatullah nazim Musam Khan naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Dehri Baghbanan, Abdul Baqi nazim Sadiq Ali naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Marumzai, Haji Atiqur Rehman nazim Watan Dost Riaz Khalil naib nazim (al-Khidmat) UC Tehkal Payan-I, Ghulam Mustafa nazim Aslam Sheikh naib nazim UC Azakhel, Iftikhar Ahmad nazim Nazir Ahmad naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Kaniza, Ghulam Rasool nazim Idrees naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Pawakai, Ashfaq Khalil nazim Haji Nazir naib nazim UC Sofaid Dehri, Wasil Farooq Khan nazim Fazal Amin naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Chamkani, Wahid Khan nazim Mohammad Iqbal naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Achenai, Aftab Khan nazim Liaqat Ali Khan naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Buhdani, Mohammad Saeed nazim Shaukat Hayat naib nazim Watan Nawaz group UC Pakha Ghulam, Dost Mohammad nazim Haji Nisar Ahmad (Independent panel) UC Mera Kachori, Abdul Sher nazim Fazal Mohammad naib nazim (Independent panel) UC Urmar Bala, Ayaz Khan nazim Hazrat Shah naib nazim (Independent panel) UC Panam Dehri, Jehan Gul nazim Momen Khan naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Khlisa-I, Ali Qadir nazim Mohamad Iqbal naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Mahal Terai-I, Malik Noor Rehman nazim Mohammad Ali naib nazim Taraqi Pasan group UC Mahal Terai-II, Ghulam Hyder nazim Afir naib nazim Independent group UC Deh Bahadar, Mohammad Saddique nazim Zakria Hussain naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Jehangir Pura, Mohamad Tariq nazim Amir Rashid Watan Dost group UC Gunj, Malik Nasir Hussain nazim Niaz Ahmad naib nazim Awam Dost group UC Gulbahar, Ghulam Mustafa nazim Javid Khan Bangash naib nazim Awam Dost group Sikandar Town, Rehman Ullah nazim Jehanu Din Khan Watan Dost group UC Saheen Muslim Town-I, Haroon Ayub nazim Zahid Khan naib nazim (Independent panel) UC Kakshal-II, Niamatullah Khan nazim Mohammad Ibrahim naib nazim UC Hassan Ghari-I, Akhundzada Irfan Shah nazim Tahir Mansoor naib nazim UC Faqirabad, Shakirullah nazim Mujahid naib nazim Awam Dost group UC University Town, Raza Asar Khan nazim Waheed Murad (Independent panel) UC Chaghar Matti, Mohammad Tariq nazim Gulzar Khan naib nazim UC Sorzai Bala, Ghazanfar Ali nazim Haji Yusuf Khan (Independent panel) UC Badhber Marumzai, Abid Ullah nazim Mian Mohammad Khan naib nazim Muttahida group UC Sheikh Mohammadi, Fahim ur Rehman nazim Mohammad Naeem naib nazim Muttahida group UC Bazid Khel, Jehanzeb Khan nazim Mohamad Shafi naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Naqhi, Jehan Alam nazim Wali Khan naib nazim Taraqi Pasand group UC Sheikh Junaidabad, Arshad Khan nazim Mohamad Yusuf naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Hazarkhwani-II, Nasib Ullah nazim Amanullah naib nazim Mutahida group UC Mamu Khattki, Mohammad Iqbal nazim Habib Ullah naib nazim (Independent panel) UC Gul Bela, Imtiaz Khan nazim Azhar Ali Khan naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Shaghli Bala, Khalid Gul nazim Wadud naib nazim al-Khidmat group UC Wazirbagh-II, Abdul Wahid Qadri nazim Suhail Akhtar naib nazim Watan Dost group UC Karim Pura, Abdul Bashir nazim Fazal Mohammad naib nazim UC Urmar Bala and Khalid Gul nazim (al-Khidmat group) UC Yakatut-III.

Sindh

A report from Hyderabad says that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-backed Khushhal Pakistan panel won majority union council Nazim and Naib Nazim seats in the interior Sindh during the first phase of local bodies (LB) election held in 10 districts of the province on Thursday, according to unofficial results on Friday.

Meanwhile, the PML-backed candidates almost swept union council elections in seven out of the 14 districts of Balochistan. According to the unofficial results announced so far, the Khushhal Pakistan panel swept polls in Thatta, Naushehroferoze and Tharparkar districts, besides chipping in substantial share of Nazim slots in Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts.

According to the unofficial results, majority of the seats in Thatta district were won by the Shirazi group of the Khushhal Pakistan panel. Fourteen pairs of UC Nazims and Naibs out of 55 in the district had already returned unopposed after the last date of withdrawal of nomination forms. All of them belonged to the Shirazi group. According to unofficial results of 45 UCs, including those elected unopposed, received till filing of this story, the Shirazi group won in 43 UCs.

The Awam Dost panel won in 13 UCs in Mirpurkhas district edging pass its main rival the Khushhal Pakistan panel, who secured nine seats of UC Nazims. According to unofficial results here, the Functional League-backed Faqir Dost panel remained third with eight seats and the joint panel of Haq Parast and KPP got six seats. Two independent candidates from UC No 1-Mirpurkhas city and union council Mir Khuda Bakhsh also won.

In the Umerkot district, Faqir Dost panel won in 18 out of 27 UCs, while the remaining nine seats were equally divided among the Awam Dost panel, the Khushhal Pakistan panel and a local Jam group.

In Tharparkar district, the Khushhal Pakistan panel conceded just one seat out of 44 UCs to the Awam Dost panel from Mithi. In the district, 37 UC Nazims had already been elected unopposed.

The Khushhal Pakistan panel won 33 UC seats out of 51 in the Naushehroferoze district. According to detailed unofficial results available so far, in Taluka Naushehroferoze, the Khushhal Pakistan panel won in seven UCs, leaving one each for the Awam Dost and the Faqir Dost panels.

In 12 UCs of Taluka Moro, the Khushhal Pakistan panel won 11 Nazim-Naib Nazim seats and just one by the Awam Dost panel. The unofficial results of 10 UCs available so far show five seats for the Khushhal Pakistan panel, four for the Syed panel and one Awam Dost candidate winning.

In seven UCs of Taluka Mehrabpur, the Lakiari panel won in four UCs and the Khushhal Pakistan panel in three. Six out of 10 UCs of Taluka Kandiaro were won by the Khushhal Pakistan panel, while Awam Dost panel ended up with two and one seat went to the Lakiari panel.

According to unofficial results the Muttahida Magsi Ittehad and the Azad Magsi Ittehad swept the LB polls in Tando Allahyar district winning 16 out of total 19 UC seats.

The Election Commission Hyderabad has announced re-election on some polling stations of UC No 2 and 4. The polling stations where re-election would be held are No 3, 8 and 9 of UC 1 while No 1, 2, 8 of UC 4. The Muttahida Magsi Ittehad is backed by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, PML and PML-F, while the Azad Magsi Ittehad also has the support of PML and PML-F. The Awam Dost panel backed by the PPPP could win only three seats.

Tando Allahyar has three UCs — Tando Allahyar, Chamber and Jhando Marri. The polling was held for 17 UCs of Tando Allahyar, which has a total of 19 UCs. Candidates had been elected unopposed in two UCs. Faizul Haq of the Muttahida Magsi Ittehad had returned unopposed from UC No 4, while Aftab Khokhar of the Azad Magsi Ittehad was elected unopposed from UC Bukhera Sahreef.

In Sanghar district the Faqir Dost panel backed by the PML-F swept the polls, as it candidates won 46 out of the total 55 union council seats.

The PPPP-backed Awam Dost panel grabbed six seats, Junejo Group 2 and Jam Nawaz Group got one seat. It is pertinent to mention here that 11 candidates of the Faqir Dost panel had already returned unopposed.

Haq Parasts win 114 UC seats

According to unofficial results in Karachi, the Haq Parast group, backed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement, has gained an overwhelming majority in Karachi local bodies polls.

Out of a total of 178 union councils, Haq Parast group’s 114 Nazims and Naib Nazims were elected, while a good number of Haq Parast group’s councillors have also been elected in a number of UCs.

The candidates of Al-Khidmat panel, backed by Jama’at-e-Islami, were elected in 32 UCs and PPPP-backed Awam Dost panel won in 30 UCs. The Al-Khidmat and Insan Dost panels claimed late on Friday night that they had made some more victories in different UCs.

Punjab

And in Punjab, he PML-supported groups have swept all 17 districts of the province, according to unofficial results of the first phase of the local bodies (LB) polls.

The combined opposition, with major PPPP role, was supposed to lead Gujranwala district by a slight margin but finally lost to the ruling party and allies. The PML-backed groups, despite infighting at the electorate, won in RY Khan, Rajanpur, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Sargodha, Khushab, Multan, Lodhran, Khannewal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari, Muzzaffargarh and Sialkot.

The PML-backed groups are poised to form district governments in these 16 districts, and are expected to try a hand on Gujranwala as well in the third phase of elections when Nazims and Naib Nazims will be elected at the Tehsil and district level.

In the former Bahawalpur division, the two groups of PML, Makhdoom Ahmad Mehmood and Rafiq Haider Leghari, grabbed over 100 union councils with Leghari taking a majority in RY Khan. In the Bahawalpur district, where the two groups, Bahawalpur Ittehad of Tariq Bashir Cheema and Sadiq Dost Group of Nawab Salahuddin Abbassi had locked horn even when the counting was on and unofficial results were being compiled by both the groups, also had the clear PML majority.
The ARD and the MMA as independent platforms failed to register their presence. Similarly, in the Bahawalnagar district, the Wainse Group and the PML conglomeration from Tehsils Minchnabad, Chishtian, Haroonabad, Fort Abbass and Bahawalnagar city had won the majority of around 100 seats out of the total 118.

In the former DG Khan division, the ruling party groups emerged successful in DG Khan, Taunsa and Tribal Belt Tehsils. In the district, however, the Khosas of the PML-N emerged as a major group. The Khosas have an electoral alliance with Maqsood Leghari and the Taunsa and the Tribal Belt PML groups. It will be a tough contest for Jamal Leghari, former district Nazim, in the run for the Nazimship in the third round of elections. The Nasrullah Dareshak group of the PML won a clear majority in the district against the Leghari Group of the same party. However, the Leghari Group had a majority in the Jampur district.

In Layyah and Muzaffargarh, the division within the PML, despite the fact its group won a considerable chunk, might benefit to the opposition for an understanding between the estranged PML groups seemed difficult at this stage.

In Gujranwala district, the ARD-led groups won the majority in the four TMAs of Gujranwala, however, the PML swept the rural areas, making it a tight contest for the district Nazimship. In the Sialkot district, a similar trend was witnessed with the opposition doing great in the city, while the ruling party won in the rural areas. There is a fight in three groups of the PML for the Nazimship.

In the former Multan division, the PML-supported groups won in all the six districts. However, the opposition did relatively well in Multan though not attaining a position to stake a claim in Tehsil Multan. The ruling party has won in Pakpattan, Vehari, Sahiwal, Lodhran and Khannewal. In Sargodha district, the PML-supported groups won a majority. However, the opposition, primarily the PPPP, performed well in the district. In Khushab district, it was all PML groups, which grabbed a greater chunk.

Enthusiastic Participation

Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan Kanwar Dilshad said on Friday, the enthusiastic participation of the people in first phase of local bodies elections indicated that overall voters’ turnout would be above 50 percent.

He said overall process of elections remained satisfactory and were received very little complaints regarding to the violation.

Such complaints were executed on spot by the District Returning Officers and Returning Officers and no complaint about major violation was filed by any candidate.

Appreciating the efficiency of DROs he said, they succeeded in ensuring the implementation of code of conduct. He said the candidates also cooperated in the process.

To a question he said the announcement of unofficial results would hopefully be completed today while the official results would be announced within next two days.

Danyal Rejects Opposition Charges

Meanwhile, Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau, Danyal Aziz while rejecting the opposition’s charges of rigging in the first phase of local bodies elections said on Friday that such allegations were baseless and unfounded.

He said, the elections were held in free and transparent manner for which the Election Commission of Pakistan deserved appreciation. He said the public as well as candidates took enthusiastic part in the polls and the turnout remained satisfactory.

The happening of minor incidents in such a large-scale elections was a normal thing while overall the situation remained peaceful and conducive. He said the heavy turnout in the elections shows the level of confidence on part of general public in the devolution plan.

He said the system, which promises massive development activity at the grass roots level would further be strengthened in future.

Danyal said that it has been a common trend in the country that whenever an individual or a party met defeat in the election, they started charging.●