Hoti quits office over ANP’s poor performance

MARDAN: The Awami National Party (ANP) Senior Vice- President Ameer Haider Hoti on Friday accepted his defeat in the general elections and quit his office due over the party’s poor performance in his constituency and other parts of the Mardan district.

In a post shared on his different accounts on social media, Haider Hoti accepted the responsibility for the party’s defeat in all the constituencies of his ancestral Mardan district in the 2024 general elections.

He stated he had been heartbroken by the lack of trust shown by the people of his constituency and Mardan in him and his party. He said that he was resigning from the party office as a gesture of accountability.

Haider Hoti stated he would remain an ordinary member of the party and continue to follow the caravan of Bacha Khan. He thanked his supporters and workers for their loyalty and dedication.

It may be noted that Haider Hoti, who is a nephew of ANP president Asfandyar Wali Khan, was the youngest elected chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 2008 to 2013. During his tenure, the province was renamed from North-West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Haider Hoti was elected from National Assembly NA-21 (Mardan-II) in 2018 and from NA-9 (Mardan-I) in 2013. He also won a provincial assembly seat from PK-53 Mardan-VI in 2018, but vacated it to retain his National Assembly seat.

In the 2024 general election Haider Hoti contested election on NA-22-Mardan -2 against the PTI Peshawar region president Atif Khan who contested election as independent candidate. Atif secured 114,748 votes Haider Hoti secured 66,159 vote and lost this seat with a margin of 48,589 votes.

On PK-57-Mardan-5, Haider Hoti contested election against PTI independent candidate and former MPA Abdus Salam Afridi. Abdus Samal secured 38,126 votes and Haider Hoti obtained 26,497 votes.

It may be noted that the PTI had a clean sweep in the 2024 general elections in the Mardan district. Ali Mohammad Khan and Mujahid Khan thrice won the National assembly seats. While Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Tufail Anjam thrice won their PK seat.

Abdus Salam Afridi ,Amir Farzand Khan and Zahir Shah twice won his PK seat while Ihtisham Ali, Tariq Mahmood Aryani advocate and Zar Shahad first time contested the PK election and succeeded.