Election fever: Record number of nomination papers filed in Lower Dir

PESHAWAR:

A record number of candidates have submitted their nomination papers to contest for the one National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats in Lower Dir.

A total of 110 hopefuls filed their papers, with 28 contesting for NA-34 and 82 competing for four provincial assembly seats, PK-95, PK-96, PK-97 and PK-98.

Top candidates for NA-34 include Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqub Khan, former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) federal minister Malik Azmat Khan, Awami National Party’s (ANP) Azam Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Farid Khan.

The top contenders for provincial assembly seats include former JI MPA Muzafar Said, former PPP MPA Nawabzada Muhammad Zaib, ANP’s Haji Muhammad Ayub Khan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Qazi Ayaz and PML-N’s Malik Farooq Iqbal.



JI’s deputy chief Sirajul Haq will contest against former ANP MPA Haji Hidayatullah for PK-95. Others, including PPP’s Malik Rehmat Ullah and JUI-F’s Abdur Rehman will compete for the same constituency in addition to a number of independent candidates.

While 16 candidates are in for the fight to win PK-96, the strongmen include former JI MPA Sayed Gul, former PPP MPA Haji Zameen Gul Khan, JUI-F’s Muhammad Shakir Ullah Khan and ANP’s Naeem Jan.

The battle for PK-97 in Lower Dir is also looking tough with Saltanat Yar, JUI-F’s deputy chief Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, former PPP MPA Dr Zakir Ullah Khan, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) provincial secretary Bakht Baidar Khan and ANP’s Haji Bahadur Khan at loggerheads with each other.

None of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s candidates are expected to attract much of the vote bank against the seasoned political workers of the more established parties.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.