Winner of the presidential polls in the National Assembly and three provincial assemblies, Mamnoon Hussain faced defeat in the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Assembly as he got 41 votes whereas rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Justice (r) Wajihud Din bagged 69 votes.
Wajihud Din was backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad (AJI) along with the PTI members whereas the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP)’s MPAs supported Hussain.
The Awami National Party and Pakistan People’s Party MPAs boycotted the polls whereas two MPAs did not cast their votes.
Whatever the justification of the PTI leaders, the QWP’s support for Hussain in the presidential elections could generate tensions in the political arena.
For the first time, after the May 11 general elections, the PML-N succeeded in gaining the support of the JUI-F and QWP. Negotiations between the PML-N and JUI-F at the national level are already in progress.
