PESHAWAR: A Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) has claimed that he had Rs100 only in his pocket at the time of filing nomination papers and his supporters ran his election campaign in PK-42 Hangu which he won by big margin as independent candidate on May 11.
Farid Khan joined the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) before taking oath as member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. “I consulted my voters before joining the PTI,” he said.
Farid Khan obtained 16,129 votes against his main rival Atteeq-ur-Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, who had been elected to the provincial assembly twice in the past.
“I give all the credit to my people for electing me to the provincial assembly. They advised me to join the ruling party so that I could solve their problems,” said Farid Khan.
Father of three children, Farid Khan claimed that he had to give up his education as his parents could not afford his expenses at the Fine Arts Department, University of Peshawar, where he had reached the third semester.
“Due to my keen interest in painting and calligraphy, I took admission in the Fine Arts Department. However, extreme poverty didn’t allow me to continue my studies,” he said and added that he belonged to a middle-class family.
“I don’t consider myself a good politician. I am an active social worker though,” Farid Khan said. He said that he had not cast his vote in the past elections but this time he contested the polls and won.
“I am not impressed by the sprawling building of the provincial assembly. Instead I am worried about the militancy-stricken streets and roads of Peshawar,” said Farid Khan. He said restoration of peace in Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas was his big dream.
Internews
