Former president Pervez Musharraf. PHOTO: AFP
NA-32 Chitral, a relatively unknown electoral constituency in the far north of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), is going to make or mar former president Pervez Musharraf’s political fortunes.
Perhaps winning from Chitral is the last shimmer of hope the embattled ex-military strongman has been left with amid a variety of challenges ranging from court cases to Taliban threats.
On Sunday, the returning officer (RO) accepted General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s nomination papers from NA-32 constituency - the sole National Assembly seat from the district.
With registered voters of about 197,022 in 2008, Chitral district offers a unique mix of Pakistani politics. Until recently, it was regarded a stronghold of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and politics was largely secular.
However, now the scenario seems to have changed as the religious right has made great inroads in this district, particularly with the spectacular rise of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), which came at the cost of Jamaat Islami (JI).
Chitral’s politics were thus far being dominated by Shahzada Mohyuddin, a member of the former royal family of Chitral. Mohyuddin, beginning his political career back in the 1985 local government elections as district council chairman, has dominated district politics for about three decades. In 2008, he was elected as Member National Assembly (MNA) from the district and polled about 33,278 votes on the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q)’s ticket. His closest rival was Sardar Muhammed Khan, an independent candidate who polled 31,120 votes, while PPP’s Shahzada Ghaulam Mohyuddin managed to secure third position.
This time around Shahzada Mohyuddin is not contesting elections due to illness and his advancing years. His political legacy has fallen into the hands of his son Shahzada Khalid Pervez, who is heading the district chapter of Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML). Khalid Pervez himself is contesting the elections for the Provincial Assembly constituency of PK 98, Chitral I.
It is also interesting that the political fortunes of both the Pervez and Musharraf’s are at stake here. Both are trying to complement each other one way or another. Musharraf enjoys a soft spot among the local population for initiating work on Lowari Tunnel.
Until the partial opening of Loweri Tunnel, they had to brave avalanches, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of locals in subzero temperatures or they had to make a long detour into Afghanistan through Bajaur Agency.
An ordinary Chitrali considers Mushrraf his benefactor for initiating work on this tunnel in 2005.
The Contest
Mushrraf will contest against JI’s Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Rehman, PPP’s Hakim Khan Advocate and PTI’s Abdul Latif. At the district level, JUI-F and JI had been in contact over seat adjustment, wherein Maulana Abdur Rehman was to withdraw his candidacy in favour of Maulana Abdul Akbar, while JI was to withdraw its provincial assembly candidate Maulana Sher Aziz. Whether these parties go ahead with proposed arrangement or not, JI’s Akbar is the real candidate Mushrraf has to face, as PPP’s candidate also has a very small chance of staging a comeback.
Furthermore, many PPP workers across the district are not happy with the award of tickets, while former Chitral Town nazim Sartaj Ahmed Khan, who was an aspirant for PPP’s ticket, is contesting as an independent candidate.
Akbar also has his own claims for Lowari Tunnel, as in early 2000s, he led a series of protests calling for the construction of the tunnel from the platform of Tanzeem Tahaufz-e-Huqooq-e-Chitral.
Another important factor is a substantial Ismali vote in Upper Chitral and Lotkuh areas of the district, which is likely to go to Mushrraf.
Other view
Dr Inayatullah Faizi, a writer and columnist from the district opines that the ground realities are against Mushrraf.
“Shahzada Mohyuddin invited him back in 2010 to contest elections from the district. However, much has changed since then,” he told the Express Tribune from Chitral.
Faizi considers Mushrarraf’s Chitral election bid as doomed on following counts: in 2010 when he invited Mushrraf to contest elections from the district, Mohyuddin was in good health and now he has fallen ill. Secondly, councillors were with him; however, now they are back in PPP’s camp. Thirdly, work on Lowari Tunnel had stopped previously and was restarted recently.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2013.
COMMENTS (18)
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I am a Chitrali and I must say Musharraf Zindabad, He is the only one who can make changes in our corrupt system. Musharraf is our Hero and all others are zero
If Musharraf contests from chitral.... No one can beat him.nothing is more important for chitralis than this tunnel. Ppp has actually stoped the work otherwise the tunnel wad complete by now.
@Candid1: I accept all the things you wrote down.please add the two following features too. He abrogated the constitution on oct 12,1999 and then again in Nov , 2007. Both these crimes are heinous and in a devolved world if someone would do that, he could be in jail for rest of his life or might get capital punishment. What do you think?
@desi786:
This is your choice and privileage. I am a foreigner! Please be my guest go ahead and travel to Chitral and caste your vote on thei behalf for him, if you reckon that the factors I recalled do not affect people of Pakistan. This is the view Musharaf expressed himself calling the majority of Pakistanis being illetrate villagers. It is a farce if a fomer military dictator is allowed to enter the parliament as a member of the high institution. I do not believe in U Turns, but iIf he makes it then the people of Pakistan will have lived a miracle of the 21t century..
Rex Minor . .
Are there different laws for Chitral? .. the nomination papers of Musharraf were rejected from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad but accepted from Chitral.. why ??? either Musharraf is eligible or not ...why such dichotomy...moreover, people are giving lame justification for Lowari tunnel, the amount of development witnessed in Musharraf's era is unprecedented.Shame on those who criticize him because he was a dictator but the dictator done much more for common people than so called democratic representatives.
@Rex Minor: I will agree with candid1. infact none the factors u mentioned effects ordinary people of Pak.
@not impressed: Peaceful, seriously? Unless you were not living in Presidential palace, there was no peace in the whole Pakistan. In fact this whole action film began in his era with a bang.
@Candid1:
He is also responsible for trampling on the democraticaly elected Government naming himself as chief of military and the Persident of the Republic by the misuse of the militay force. He excercised force to remove the supreme court justice, ordered the house arrest of the nuclear scientistist National heroe and the assault on the house of God and failed to provide adequate security fo Bibi the fomer Prime Minister allowing her to be murdered in cold blood.
It was on his watch and him providing the bases for the American drones, which were let loose on innocent waziris including children and women , while Sheikh Osama was given the residence in the military protected garrison city.. Pakistan reputation has suffered massively in the western world, loosing its credibility with allies and foes alike. The PPP and the opposition parties have put in lots of effort to improve Pakistan image while remaining under undue pressure of the erratic Obama administration which must not be halted due to the untimely arrival of the villain.
Rex Minor
glad to know that "zameer" of some RO is still alive
Preventing Musharraf from running for elections is pre-poll rigging. All those "champions" of democracy who labled Musharraf a dictator don't seem to have a problem acting undemocratically now. Musharraff's regime did more for democracy in Pakistan than any other previous regime, military or civilian: 1) He introduced local government that brought democracy to the common people at grass roots level; 2) He reduced the voting age to 18 years so that the youth could be enfranchised; 3) He placed term limitations, so that no one could become a perpetual president or PM; 4) He freed the media, so that office holders would be subject to public scrutiny; 5) He abolished separate voting lists for minorities so that they could participate in mainstream politics and have an equal say in affairs of the state; 6) He increased the reserved seats for women in National and Provincial assemblies to empower them; 7) He introduced the requirement of univerisity degrees for eligibility to run as an MP, so that Pakistan could develop educated leadership; 8) He required political parties have to internal elections in order to foster a culture of democracy within these family run enterprises; 9) He demonstrated democratic accommodation by not banning the parties of his opponents; 10) He imposed the state's writ on anti-democratic forces such as TTP, the Lal Masjid Gang, and Akbar Bugti.
Pakistanis had never enjoyed more democracy before, and this showed in the outstanding economic performance of the country during the Musharraf years. Unfortunately, after his departure, Musharraf's "democratic" successors reversed most of these democratic steps, and set pakistan back by decades.
So the choice is very clear for the voters this time: People can vote for those who only pretend to be democratic (the present political elite), or they can vote for someone who has an established track record of promoting democracy: Musharraf.
why aren't you publishing my comments ET? Did I say something wrong? What happened to freedom of speech?
I will say it again - Musharraf's years were the most peaceful and economically sound in the recent history of this country.
don't be biased, you're a newspaper. give everyone a right to speak.
cheating. they are not letting musharraf compete fairly. i feel sorry for the people cause the corrupt officials dont want an honest man in the office which is musharraf
Chitral is the military outpost of Pakistan, where locals are regularly entertained by Pakistan military with thei sports activties, hose aces and polo competitions. They speak unique chitrali language and are of caucasian origin. Mr Musharaf was born in Delhi, is not the resident of the State and should not be allowed to epresent these otherwise poor but decent folks. Pakistan democratic system has inherent weakness if non esidents are allowed to epesent elatively poorer pats of Pakstan. Mushaaf is not a man of vision, the miltary needed the tunnel during winter fo its supples to reach the outpost in the land locked territory.l
Rex Minor
Lawyers and Courts are not giving level playing field to the contestants in the elections. The control of Judiciary over democratic institutions is despotic and dictatorial. The courts have assumed an executive power which is the sole domain of the people of Pakistan through its elected representatives. Judiciary is as unelected body as the Military. Such behavior will not be tolerated by the people and the yoke of Judicial Dictatorship will be thrown out of Pakistan.
I hope he wins.