JI Peshawar chief quits over poor show in NA-4 by-polls

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Sabir Hussain Awan has resigned from his party office following the party’s poor performance in the October 26 by-election in the National Assembly constituency NA-4.

Sabir Awan, who was elected member National Assembly from NA-4 in the 2002 general election on the ticket of the six-party religio-political alliance Mittahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), has sent his resignation to the party high command. He was the JI head for Peshawar district.

The JI performed badly in the by-poll and its candidate Wasil Farooq, a lawyer who served as a union council nazim, trailed in the sixth place in the by-election.

The JI as part of the MMA won the election on NA-4 Peshawar in 2002, boycotted the 2008 general election, and was placed third in the 2013 polls with more than 16,000 votes behind the winner, PTI’s Gulzar Khan, and the runner-up, PML-N’s Nasir Khan Musazai.

In the recent by-election, JI’s Wasil Farooq polled 7,668 votes only. The drop in JI’s share of vote compared to the 2013 general election was nearly 9,000 votes. The JI candidate was overtaken by even the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan nominee Dr Muhammad Shafiq Ameeni who obtained 9,935 votes and was placed fifth in the contest. The bye-election was won by PTI’s Arbab Amir Ayub followed by ANP’s Khushdil Khan, PML-N’s Nasir Musazai and PPP’s Asad Gulzar Khan.

The JI workers were disappointed with the performance of their party in the recent by-election. It was the second big setback for the JI after faring poorly with less than 1,000 votes in the NA-120 Lahore by-election that was won by PML-N’s Kulsoom Nawaz Sharif.