Exiting the comfort zone: Female candidates from K-P, FATA run for general seats
Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned politicos in tough constituencies.
The tribal belt will participate in the 2013 polls under the extension of the Fata Political Parties Act. DESIGN: EMA ANIS
PESHAWAR:
Electioneering is a difficult task under the current security concerns, yet female candidates are rising to the occasion and contesting elections on general rather than reserved seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
K-P has 35 seats in the National Assembly – eight are reserved for women. In the K-P Assembly, there are 99 general seats – 22 seats are reserved for women. Reserved seats are filled by political party nominees, according to a party’s strength in the assembly.
Three women candidates will contest the 2013 elections on tickets awarded to them by their respective political parties. These women will confront their male counterparts – almost all of whom are political heavy weights in their respective constituencies.
Going one step further are the female candidates who will run as independent candidates, competing for both the K-P and National Assembly general seats.
Tough competition
Former MPAs Shazia Aurangzeb, Syeda Nasira Batool and ex-MNA Khurshid Begum were nominees of various political parties for reserved seats in the previous national and provincial assemblies. This time they will campaign to win general seats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) dissident Shazia Aurangzeb recently joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after developing differences with PML-N’s provincial leadership.
Aurangzeb is running for a National Assembly seat, NA-9 Mardan-I, on a PPP ticket. Her opponents will be Awami National Party (ANP) stalwart and ex-chief minister Amir Haider Hoti, ex-federal minister Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti from the PML-N and ex-MNA Maulana Shujaul Mulk from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
The vocal and active Aurangzeb is also a PPP nominee for reserved seats in the K-P Assembly.
The PML-N has awarded the party ticket for PK-68 DI Khan to Syeda Nasira Batool.
Batool was an MPA on a JUI-F reserved seat in the previous assembly. She recently joined the PML-N and will contest for a general seat on the party ticket.
Running for PK-68 is not an easy task given her opponent, Syed Mureed Kazim, has been elected thrice from the same constituency. Kazim is contesting the polls on an ANP ticket.
Khurshid Begum, a lawyer by profession, was earlier an MNA on an ANP reserved seat. She decided to leave party politics behind to run as an independent from NA-14 Kohat. She will be contesting against Pir Dilawar Shah, who has now joined the PPP.
Khurshid will also be fighting against PML-N contender Malik Asad.
There is a history of bad blood between the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and ANP over the death of former MPA Alamzeb Umerzai. Alam was affiliated with the erstwhile PPP-Sherpao, now known as the QWP, when he was killed. ANP leaders Bashir Umerzai and his son are charged with his murder.
The QWP has elected to field Alamzeb’s widow Najma Zeb to contest NA-7 Charsadda in a face off against ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.
New blood
The rest of the female candidates running for general seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are new in the field of politics.
Aneela Shaheen, a journalist by profession, is contesting from NA-4 Peshawar, Nowshera Dilroba Yousafzai from PK-15 Nowshera and Guldana Bibi from PK-69 Tank.
Asma Mehmud will stand as an independent candidate from both NA-32 and PK-89 Chitral.
Farah Khan, a Peshawar High Court lawyer, is competing for PK-41 Karak against PML-N’s Malik Zafar Azam, PPP’s Jehanzeb Khan, JUI-F’s Malik Qasim, ANP’s Mohsin Ali Khan, a former senior minister.
Nusrat Begum, who was the district vice-president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, will file papers as an independent for NA-34 Lower Dir.
Badam Zari is the first woman to file nomination papers from the tribal areas. She will be contesting for NA-44 Bajaur Agency as an independent candidate.
The tribal belt will participate in the 2013 polls under the extension of the Fata Political Parties Act – whereby candidates from Fata can stand for elections on various parties’ tickets.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2013.
Electioneering is a difficult task under the current security concerns, yet female candidates are rising to the occasion and contesting elections on general rather than reserved seats from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
K-P has 35 seats in the National Assembly – eight are reserved for women. In the K-P Assembly, there are 99 general seats – 22 seats are reserved for women. Reserved seats are filled by political party nominees, according to a party’s strength in the assembly.
Three women candidates will contest the 2013 elections on tickets awarded to them by their respective political parties. These women will confront their male counterparts – almost all of whom are political heavy weights in their respective constituencies.
Going one step further are the female candidates who will run as independent candidates, competing for both the K-P and National Assembly general seats.
Tough competition
Former MPAs Shazia Aurangzeb, Syeda Nasira Batool and ex-MNA Khurshid Begum were nominees of various political parties for reserved seats in the previous national and provincial assemblies. This time they will campaign to win general seats.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) dissident Shazia Aurangzeb recently joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after developing differences with PML-N’s provincial leadership.
Aurangzeb is running for a National Assembly seat, NA-9 Mardan-I, on a PPP ticket. Her opponents will be Awami National Party (ANP) stalwart and ex-chief minister Amir Haider Hoti, ex-federal minister Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti from the PML-N and ex-MNA Maulana Shujaul Mulk from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).
The vocal and active Aurangzeb is also a PPP nominee for reserved seats in the K-P Assembly.
The PML-N has awarded the party ticket for PK-68 DI Khan to Syeda Nasira Batool.
Batool was an MPA on a JUI-F reserved seat in the previous assembly. She recently joined the PML-N and will contest for a general seat on the party ticket.
Running for PK-68 is not an easy task given her opponent, Syed Mureed Kazim, has been elected thrice from the same constituency. Kazim is contesting the polls on an ANP ticket.
Khurshid Begum, a lawyer by profession, was earlier an MNA on an ANP reserved seat. She decided to leave party politics behind to run as an independent from NA-14 Kohat. She will be contesting against Pir Dilawar Shah, who has now joined the PPP.
Khurshid will also be fighting against PML-N contender Malik Asad.
There is a history of bad blood between the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and ANP over the death of former MPA Alamzeb Umerzai. Alam was affiliated with the erstwhile PPP-Sherpao, now known as the QWP, when he was killed. ANP leaders Bashir Umerzai and his son are charged with his murder.
The QWP has elected to field Alamzeb’s widow Najma Zeb to contest NA-7 Charsadda in a face off against ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.
New blood
The rest of the female candidates running for general seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are new in the field of politics.
Aneela Shaheen, a journalist by profession, is contesting from NA-4 Peshawar, Nowshera Dilroba Yousafzai from PK-15 Nowshera and Guldana Bibi from PK-69 Tank.
Asma Mehmud will stand as an independent candidate from both NA-32 and PK-89 Chitral.
Farah Khan, a Peshawar High Court lawyer, is competing for PK-41 Karak against PML-N’s Malik Zafar Azam, PPP’s Jehanzeb Khan, JUI-F’s Malik Qasim, ANP’s Mohsin Ali Khan, a former senior minister.
Nusrat Begum, who was the district vice-president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, will file papers as an independent for NA-34 Lower Dir.
Badam Zari is the first woman to file nomination papers from the tribal areas. She will be contesting for NA-44 Bajaur Agency as an independent candidate.
The tribal belt will participate in the 2013 polls under the extension of the Fata Political Parties Act – whereby candidates from Fata can stand for elections on various parties’ tickets.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2013.