Delawar Jan
DIR: At the very
outset, this election brought surprises to people. After women filed nomination
papers for the first time from Bajaur Agency and Lower Dir, Muttahida Qaumi
Movement (MQM) and Pervez Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) found
candidates from Chitral and Upper Dir.
MQM has never made
serious efforts to make inroads into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly the
remote and underdeveloped Chitral district. Its move to hold a toehold in the
Punjab province was resisted by some political parties but uncanvassed support
for it in the shape of a candidate would even amaze the party. Now the party
that has its bastion in Karachi, one extreme of the country, has representation
at the other end of the country, Chitral.
Haji Abdur Rahman, 60
years of age, has filed nomination papers from MQM on PK-89, one of the two
provincial constituencies in Chitral district. The party had not awarded ticket
to him but he submitted papers from this party. Probably, he was the first
person to have joined the MQM in Chitral without being invited or convinced. A
resident of Ayun in Chitral, he joined MQM on March 30 this year and filed
nomination papers for the provincial constituency.
“This party has
impressed me,” he told The News by phone. “Even if I lose election, I am
satisfied that I am the one who has hoisted the MQM’s flag in Chitral,” he
said. Abdur Rahman claimed “thousands of people” had since called and assured
him of support. “I will take more votes than the ANP,” he said, when asked
about his prospects in elections in a district where MQM had no support.
The MQM candidate has
not met or talked to any party leader and perhaps no one in MQM knows about his
candidature. He will try to contact the MQM leadership, he says. However, the
district has no MQM flag at the moment, Abdur Rahman admitted. Even his house
doesn’t have a party flag. “I have just joined it. I will make party flags as
people are also demanding it from me,” he added.
Chitral also welcomed
Pervez Musharraf’s party and three candidates of the party including the former
dictator are contesting elections.
In Upper Dir, where PPP
and JI have been traditionally strong, APML has found an unsought candidate on
NA-33, the lone National Assembly seat in the district. It was also unusual and
unexpected as Musharraf is not only unpopular in the country but his party is
also very young. He even could not tour the country to promote his party.
As young as borne in
1986, the candidate, Muhammad Zeb, has a bachelor’s degree from Allama Iqbal
Open University. He hails from Wari area in Upper Dir.
Unsolicited candidacy
of MQM and AMPL in districts like Chitral and Upper Dir suggests that people
have been disappointed by the major mainstream parties, and they are now
thinking untraditionally, looking to other parties.
“I was associated with
the PPP for 42 years and, before quitting it, I was its district vice
president,” Abdur Rahman said. “My disappointment with the PPP peaked, and I
departed from it. It’s no more Bhutto’s or Benazir’s party, but sycophants are
given importance. It follows no principle. No reward [for good people] and no
punishment [for wrongdoers],” he added.
Muhammad Zeb says he
was impressed by Musharraf’s rule, though many would disagree with him. “Musharraf
governed the country well. People had food to eat. There was security and
prices of commodities were stable. The country was making progress,” he opined.
“The PPP government promoted loot and plunder in the country. So, I wanted to
support Musharraf because I consider him a good leader for Pakistan. This
thinking led me to file nomination papers,” he explained.
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