PTI's hopes and chances in May 11 elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Delawar Jan

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ‘tsunami’ that raged in October 2011 has apparently receded quite substantially, but the PTI leaders always challenge this statement. If they are to be believed, the ‘tsunami’ is rising that is eventually going to take them to the power corridors. As PTI chief Imran Khan sees himself in the prime minister’s chair, his lieutenants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are cocksure about a clean sweep in the province. They believe the party enjoys a widespread support in the province and the election results on May 11 are going to blindside the opponents. The PTI assumes that it will form the next government in Pakhtunkhwa and clinch substantial number of seats in the National Assembly. For many, such expectations are overambitious and unrealistic.

“PTI’s 20 seats in the provincial assembly will even flabbergast me. And in National Assembly seats from KP, I don’t see them entering double figure,” said Iqbal Khattak, a senior journalist and political analyst.

The party does have support among the people, but that is scattered and not concentrated in one particularly region where the party can make gains. How the PTI is going to convert that scattered support into a decisive win in Pakhtunkhwa remains a major challenge, though its followers are dedicated ones. “I will not vote for a candidate other than PTI’s,” said Saleemullah, a 23-year-old young man from PK-92 in the remote Upper Dir. His dedication to PTI was so ingrained that he wanted to vote a PTI candidate whose name he did not know. “I will offer my blood to Imran Khan, if he asked for it,” another young man Shahzeb interjected.   

Emotions asides, currently the party does not seem to be in a position to win significant number of seats in the National Assembly or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, if sweeping upsets in favour of PTI don’t take place. Looking at the candidates the party has fielded on National Assembly seats, only seven appear strong who can win or put up tough contest. They are Imran Khan from NA-1 Peshawar, party’s central secretary general Pervez Khattak from NA-5 Nowshera, PTI’s provincial president Asad Qaiser from NA-13 Swabi, Muhammad Azhar Jadoon from NA-17 Abbotabad, Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob from NA-18 Abbotabad, Muhammand Azam Khan Swati from NA-20 Mansehra and Salimur Rahman from NA-30 Swat.

A thumping majority of the candidates that PTI has fielded in both national and provincial constituencies are young and new faces. Most of them are unfamiliar to electorate and new to electoral politics. Imran Khan honoured his promise of awarding tickets to new faces, but will the general people who have been whining about the traditional politicians vote for them? Will people contribute to changing the electoral politics in the country, and in particular KP, that is monopolized by landlords, rich and powerful people?

“The response from people is enormous,” said Mahmood Jan, who is contesting his maiden election from PK-7 in Peshawar. “Actually, people say they have already decided to vote for PTI,” he added. Syed Ishtiaq, who is running election from PK-11 in Peshawar, is also upbeat after seeing people’s support. “People aspire for change in the country. You talk to a rickshaw driver, a tangawala or educated people, all of them want to vote for PTI,” he said.

Iqbal Khattak does not agree with them. He came up with an interesting analysis. “Change is the slogan that represents a national agenda. But in KP it’s different,” he said. “For a party to get a landslide victory in this province, it needs to have a regional slogan like MMA had in 2002 and ANP in 2008,” he added.

The six-party alliance of religious parties, MMA, swept elections in KP in 2002 on ‘vote against US’ slogan and ANP on peace slogan in 2008. “Note the fact that both the parties swept elections in KP only but PTI does not have such a regional issue to secure a sweeping victory. So, I don’t think they can give a stunning surprise,” he added.  

At the moment, the party could not generate a wave that it created in October 2011 to ride on it to victory. People are not as thrilled as they were about the PTI after the Lahore rally. Imran Khan has been trying to move heaven and earth to create that wave just before the elections but people yet to see it.

He launched election campaign from Karak by holding a rally there on April 22. He addressed another one in Dera Ismail Khan the same day. The next day, he tried to woo people in Dargai in Malakand Agency, in Och in Lower Dir and in Wari in Upper Dir. His young Tabdeeli Razakar (volunteers for change) are knocking at every door and stopping every passerby to persuade them to vote for Imran’s party. The impact is, however, missing.

PTI is still hoping for a groundswell of opinion in its favour. It has fielded candidates on all 99 provincial assembly and 47 National Assembly seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. It gives it the chance to maximise the number of seats in the event of any upsurge in its popularity. “People in the province seem to be ambivalent at the moment about which party to vote,” Iqbal Khattak said, indicating that PTI still has the opportunity to win people’s support.

Also, most of the PTI candidates are unfamiliar faces who stand thin chances to win, if miracle does not happen. PTI leaders will argue that the MMA candidates in 2002 were far more unfamiliar faces than the PTI’s. The volatile situation in KP may also hinder its effort clinch victory. “I think turnout would be key to PTI’s chances,” Khattak said. “If the turnout stays at the usual 30 per cent, the PTI’s chances to win majority are slim. But if the turnout touches 50 per cent, it means the youth will have come to the polling stations. In this scenario, the PTI can bring surprises,” he added.

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Election 2013: Profiles of some of the new PTI candidates in Peshawar

Delawar Jan

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has fielded unfamiliar faces in Peshawar who are overconfident about their win against political heavyweights.

Party chief Imran Khan had promised with people to award tickets to new faces and young people to create a new Pakistan. He had created a fund for running campaign for young and new candidates, but almost all of the candidates in Peshawar said they had not received financial support from the party.

Nevertheless, they said the party’s Tabdeeli Razakar have been campaigning for them in their constituencies. The PTI candidates said they had been receiving ‘overwhelming’ response from people during the election campaign. The response has made them overconfident about winning their seats. Though the PTI opponents underrate them, the Tehreek-e-Insaf candidates can surprise them with upsets in election in view of Imran’s growing support in the masses.

The faces are so new that they had hardly figured at election contests in the provincial metropolis. Most of candidates don’t come from political families and have no, or little, experience in electoral politics. Even most of them are unknown to party leaders and activists in Peshawar. PTI does not have their profile, but the candidates are convinced that the PTI ‘tsunami’ is going to succeed them on May 11.

This story brings profiles of some of the candidates contesting on four National Assembly and 11 provincial assembly seats from Peshawar.

Hamidul Haq

He is founding member of the party who has been fielded on NA-2. The 49-year-old has a degree of BSc civil engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar that he completed in 1988. According to him, his family that hails from Tehkal Bala has never engaged in politics, and he has also not contested election before. He is confident of win.

Ziaullah Afridi

He joined PTI in January 2012 and is contesting from PK-1. Born in 1972 in Momin Town, he has studied up to intermediate. He does not come from a political family but now testing fortune from the PTI platform. He said people’s feedback was encouraging and that he has 75 per cent chances of win.

Shah Farman

Shah Farman, 48, is founding member of the party and is contesting from PK-10. He hails from Badber and has done LLB. His family, according to him, has never remained in politics. He has served the party’s secretary general and information secretary. He ran election for the post of secretary general in the intra-party polls but lost.

Yaseen Khalil

Contesting from PK-5, he is PTI’s district Peshawar president. He joined PTI in 2011after resigning from PPP. He held the position of nazim Town-III in the first term of local bodies elections in Musharraf regime. He is expected to put up a tough contest against PPP’s Arbab Alamgir and ANP’s Arbab Tahir.

Shaukat Ali Yousafzai

A founding member, he hails from Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He served as political adviser to Imran Khan and currently holds the party’s provincial secretary general’s position that he won in the intra-party election. He has also been made in-charge election campaign for Imran Khan who is contesting from NA-1. He is contesting from PK-2 Peshawar and PK-87 Shangla. He contested election from Shangla on PTI ticket in 1997. He is a journalist by profession and heads an Urdu-language newspaper as Editor in Chief. He studied in Peshawar’s Agriculture University.

Mahmood Jan

He is also a new face who has been fielded on PK-7 after he joined the party in October 2011. His grandfather had affiliation with Muslim League and served its NWFP Salar. Mahmood Jan, 43, holds a bachelor’s degree.

Syed Ishtiaq

The 43-year-old is contesting from PK-11. He also holds B.A. degree. He is founding member of PTI who has contested election from the party ticket in 1997. According to him, he had secured 4,333 votes in that election. He belongs to Urmar area of Peshawar.

Fazal Elahi

He is contesting from PK-6. Though he could only study up to 10-grade, he is also one of the founding members of the party in Peshawar. He won election for the president of Town-IV in the intra-party election. Though he has remained nazim Hazarkhwani union council, he does not hail from a political family

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For PTI workers, campaign for Imran in NA-1 is mission

Delawar Jan

PESHAWAR: Thousands of workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leave homes every morning in Peshawar’s NA-1 constituency to campaign for the party chief Imran Khan, who is in one of the nerve-racking contests with Awami National Party’s Ghulam Ahmad Bilour.

The PTI’s 2,500 Tabdeeli Razakar, according to the party leaders, are taking part in the campaign, going door-to-door to persuade voters to cast ballot in favour of Imran Khan. Besides them, the party leaders are also working hard to ensure he wins election from this important constituency.

“They knock every door, give pamphlets to people and persuade them that Imran Khan is the only leader who can bring change,” said Shaukat Yousafzai, provincial general of the party who is in-charge of the election campaign for Imran Khan. “They ask for vote for Imran Khan,” he said, adding that the campaign had moved into full swing.

Contest in NA-1 is a test for Imran Khan’s hyped popularity and a challenge for Ghulam Bilour, federal minister for Railways in the previous government, to retain his seat. Bilour has won this seat four times since 1988. He could not contest in election in 2002.

Workers of both the parties are making unflagging efforts to win election on the seat. However, ANP’s disadvantage is that its candidate and workers cannot openly and freely run election campaign due to terrorist threats. Ghulam Bilour’s election gathering was attacked by a suicide bomber as this story was being filed, reinforcing the ferocity of the threat to ANP and Bilour. Despite threats of attacks, he and his workers appear determined to persevere the election campaign.

“This is the beginning. The number of the Tabdeeli Razakar will go up in the coming days,” Shaukat said. Not only men activists, but women workers of the party are also participating in canvassing, targetting female voters. According to PTI, women’s wing kicked off electioneering from PK-2, a provincial constituency that is part of NA-1. “We are going to continue campaign in Gulbahar tomorrow to cover more areas,” said Ayesha, a woman campaigner.

The Tabdeeli Razakars (volunteers for change) are also motivating people, particularly youngsters, to come out of homes on May 11 to cast vote. The party says it is following an election campaign strategy that include holding of public gatherings, corner meetings and door-to-door canvassing.   

The party workers staged a rally in Gulbahar on Tuesday as part of the campaign for Imran Khan. The party also held gatherings in other locations near Gulbahar which were addressed by Shaukat Yousafzai. “The youth have come out in support of PTI and now political stalwarts will bite the dust,” he told a gathering in Ganj. To public meetings in Ijazabad, Karimpura and Gulbahar, he said the ANP and its leaders who had won three to four times had disappointed electorate in Peshawar. “This city has been in ruins and does not even indicate that this is the capital of a province,” he told The News, criticising ANP and PPP for failing to carry out development. He said people from the strongholds of PPP and ANP in NA-1 were inviting them for holding public meetings, an indication from PTI’s perspective that people are unhappy with them. “People’s response to the campaign is unprecedented,” Shaukat said.

The main challenge for Imran Khan is to assure the electorate of NA-1 that he would retain the seat, if he won. Shaukat said Imran Khan would decide whether to retain the seat after winning it or not. The PTI is trying to persuade Imran Khan to hold, at least, one public meeting as part of the campaign in Peshawar.

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In Malakand division, candidates and law enforcers yearn for peace in campaign

Delawar Jan

PESHAWAR: In the first week of the current month, a political gathering at Dir Stadium in Upper Dir surprised everyone. A political party had gathered around a two-dozen people at the vast Stadium that looked like a dot on the grassless ground. The security arrangements that were put in place to protect the gathering were enormous. The police personnel guarding the entrance and other points outnumbered the participants. A walk-through gate was installed at the entrance and three police vans were deputed. Such huge security arrangements aroused people’s curiosity to see what was happening inside, but a peep only brought them surprise.

Everyone was asking the question as to why so much security was put in place for such a small gathering.

This unprecedented security for a small assembly is reflecting the fear that Taliban militants have planned to unleash violence during election campaign. This fear is more visible in Upper Dir, a district that shares border with Afghanistan and where militants have launched deadly attacks from Afghanistan into the border villages. The authorities are not ready to compromise security, visibly.  

The local administration and security forces have warned that election rallies and politicians could be attacked during election campaign for the May 11 polls. They have planned to take several security measures to ensure the peaceful conduct of the election. “Political parties cannot hold gatherings outside the specified locations that include Dir Stadium,” said District Police Officer Ihsanullah Khan. “We will ensure that no lapse is committed in security for rallies at the identified places,” he added.  

The threat is, however, not restricted to Upper Dir. An ISI report submitted to the Supreme Court in the last week of March said Taliban militants based in Afghanistan could stage terrorist attacks with help from Afghan government in the border areas of Pakistan—Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Swat and Chitral.

“They (Taliban) will not gratuitously knock their heads against the wall,” said a military official, referring to impenetrable troop deployment on the border along Upper Dir. “Threat to election campaign activities and candidates is general. It exists elsewhere in the country and so as in Upper Dir,” he said, requesting anonymity as he did not want his name printed. However, the official said the Maulana Fazlullah-led militants had planned cross-border attacks and Bajaur, Mohmand, Lower Dir and Chitral were relatively vulnerable to such attacks.

The local administration has asked candidates not to hold campaign-related activities at mosques, unspecified locations and on roads. As the militants have announced to target ANP and PPP, the PPP candidate from NA-33 Najmuddin Khan has been under threats, according to the local administration. “More challenges could also crop up, but at the moment these challenges are not visible,” Ihsanullah said. “But let me assure you that we will have the last laugh,” the police officer said.

Some candidates, who were interviewed, however, expressed the confidence that they faced no threat during the election campaign and canvassing continued unhindered. “I don’t see any threat during the election campaign,” said PML-N candidate on PK-91, Muhammad Nisar Wardag. “It’s a peaceful area, and we have the local administration and the army, too,” he added.

Sahibzada Tariqullah, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate from NA-33, has no fears of attack. His party recently held big rallies in Upper Dir. His colleague, Inayatullah, candidate on PK-91, agrees.

However, situation in the neighbouring Swat, a district controlled and ravaged by Taliban from 2007 to 2009, is different. The threat is particularly ferocious against ANP candidates, as Taliban unraveled campaign attacks on ANP candidates in Pakhtunkhwa, including Swat.

Wajid Ali, a party leader in Swat and former provincial minister, said ANP candidates had been unable to run campaign for election. “We face serious security threat during the campaign. We can be attacked with a bomb or sniper. Or can be target killed,” he said. “We cannot run election campaign the way an independent candidate should do,” he added.

The ANP candidates cannot hold rallies or gatherings to woo voters due to the threat. They are relying on meetings with individuals to ask for support in election. “It puts us into a disadvantaged position against other political parties as we cannot convey our message to the electorate while they are freely conducting electioneering,” he said.   

For a woman who made history, election campaign is real challenge

Delawar Jan

DIR: Nusrat Begum made history when she became the first woman who filed nomination papers on general seat to contest the upcoming elections. However, it does not mark the end of her struggle to unfetter her and other women from the local traditions. In fact, it’s the beginning of a long and thorny battle toward women emancipation in this mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

She gathered courage to defy the deep-seated tradition but might falter at the stage of campaign, if not before. After a chat with her, it’s evident that she would not be able to run her campaign in the public. For her, it’s almost impossible to hold gatherings to woo support like her male colleagues will do, let alone big rallies. And most importantly, she is not going to seek vote from men, not because she don’t need but because she believes it’s not possible for her to ask men for votes. And the reason is tradition that disapproves women to mix with men.

“I will only campaign among women,” she told The News, as she plans to launch the campaign on April 5. “I will never seek votes from men. If that had to be done, men of my family will do it….I mean my husband and husband’s brother,” she said as her voice rose to emphasise her argument.

Nusrat Begum took a brave step by filing nomination papers on NA-34 Lower Dir to contest against all men candidates. She went to the returning officer’s office to submit the papers as an independent candidate. Her move earned her appreciation across the country as media gave coverage to the development. “People in the area, particularly women, appreciate my decision to participate in the election,” she said. “In fact, women persuaded me that I am capable of serving people, and I should contest election,” she added.

Nusrat Begum who was borne in Warsak area of Lower Dir and resides there said women in the area had already started inviting her for women-only corner meetings. They have assured her of support, she added, and she is planning to organise gatherings of women soon.

Her inability or unwillingness to get men’s support might hobble her election campaign, but it might help motivate women to come to polling stations for casting votes even if she fails to win. Women in Dir have traditionally been unable to cast votes due to opposition from the men-dominated society. In fact, political parties signed agreements in the past to exclude women from election process. This time, the Election Commission of Pakistan has warned against such illegal ban. Political parties have reportedly agreed in Lower Dir to facilitate or at least not oppose women to go to polling stations for casting votes.

Leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the party believed to be opposed to female voting, in Upper Dir have also extended support to women voting in the May 11 elections.

“I have trust in myself that I can work for the betterment of people. I want development in my area and will make efforts for it,” she vowed. “Women are inviting me to announce support for me,” she said.

According to her, she has been associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the last seven years. However, the party has not awarded ticket to her. “I have filed papers as an independent candidate but if the party asked me to contest election on PTI ticket, I will be happy to do so. Otherwise, I will go with my decision to contest election as an independent candidate,” said Nusrat Begum, who is the elected vice president of PTI Lower Dir chapter.

She was borne in 1970 and married at the age of 11 years, if she is to be believed. She holds secondary school certificate, which she passed as a private candidate. She is vocal when she talks. Nusrat Begum has five children, three boys and two girls. Her husband, according to her, is a class four employee who also runs a shop after duty hours.  

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How a family can influence politics in Pakistan?

Delawar Jan

WARI, Upper Dir: Sahibzada family has played key role in making Upper Dir one of the strongholds of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). Without its support, winning election for JI always seemed less likely. This party won National Assembly seat from Upper Dir whenever it participated in elections, except in 1990, because members of Sahibzada family, locally revered as Babagan, contested the elections.

JI always failed to win the provincial assembly seat, then PF-73, because the candidates were not one of the Sahibzadas. The seat was won after 23 years from the undefeated Amanullah Khan by Sahibzada family’s Sahibzada Tariqullah in 1993.

Nevertheless, for the first time, Sahibzadas have become a serious challenge for JI instead of strength. The family that has concentration in Dir town, Kotkay and Sawni has divided in run up to elections over award of tickets. Sahibzada Tariqullah, based in Dir town, got ticket of the lone National Assembly seat from Upper Dir, NA-33. Sahibzada Sanaullah, a former union council nazim of Kotkay, was denied party ticket from PK-93. In response to it, he joined PPP, political archrival of JI and his family. From a challenge, the Sahibzada family became a source of strength for PPP in Upper Dir, enabling it to hope for win in PK-93, one of the three provincial assembly seats in Upper Dir.

PPP has never been as strong in this constituency as it is today, people interviewed in Wari and Sahibabad said. JI or its supporters have won elections five times from this constituency, then PF-77, since 1988 while PML-N succeeded on it in 1997, thanks to JI boycott. “I will vote for PML-N this too whether it carries out development or not. I follow its ideology,” said Asan Zeb, a resident of Panjkora.

This time the PPP nominee, Sahibzada Sanaullah, has more chances than JI’s nominee to win election, people said. “PPP is strengthened with Sanaullah’s joining. People swore at our village’s mosque that they will support Sanaullah. He will win,” said Jehan-e-Alam, a resident of Gamdat in Sultankhel Darra. “I have voted so far for ‘Islam’ but this time I will vote for PPP,” he said and claimed most of the people in his village had joined PPP from JI.   

“Sanaullah is sincere and not reluctant to serve people,” said Ayanullah, a resident of Sahibabad. Gulab Zar Khan, running a cold drinks shop in Wari bazaar, said PPP had become very strong after Sanaullah’s joining and Sultan Yousaf’s support. “Though I am a JI worker and will vote for JI nominee in PK-93 and NA-33, it’s reality that PPP position is strong,” he added.

JI’s nominee Malik Bahram Khan, a popular political figure who remained MPA in 1993, was disqualified by the returning officer, a new development that took place on Friday. If Bahram’s disqualification is upheld, the Sahibzada family would be faced with more serious crisis. Bahram’s covering candidate is Sahibzada Sibghatullah, a JI dissident in 2008 elections who contested election from NA-33.  If both the Sahibzadas came face to face, it would be an interesting contest.    

Contest in PK-93 has become a matter of ego for JI and PPP. If election campaign has started anywhere in the province, it’s in PK-93. Except a few, shopkeepers in Sahibabad bazaar have hoisted JI and PPP flags to show support for their respective parties. The unprecedented number of flags catches one’s eyes as one enters this small town. People now call it “jhanda bazaar.”

“The flags are demonstration of the battle that we are up to,” Jehan-e-Alam said. “The bazaar looks decorated due to these flags. The flags are a source of discussion for us,” said Mujeebullah, who runs a cabin but has not hoisted flag of any party because he thinks it could offend some friends. “People come here and take videos,” chipped in another man who squatted nearby. “Two Punjabis were walking through the bazaar. One asked the other one that is it a bazaar or mazaar,” Mujeeb said.

Ghulam Dar Khan’s shop has a PPP flag. He says his decision to join PPP five years back guided him to ‘light’ and now he has a totally changed thinking. “I will vote for PPP because I like Najmuddin,” he said. However, when asked to name only one big project that Najmuddin has completed during his five-year tenure, he stressed his mind but could not recall. 

Rashid Gul, a resident of Osori in Wari, said he would vote for PPP because it gave him pipes and BISP card.

“I was with ANP and will vote for its candidate,” said Iftikhar Ali, a vegetable vendor, as he weighed cucumber.   

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MQM, APML find candidates in Upper Dir and Chitral, unexpectedly

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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