NA-29 Swat-I: 35 candidates, no apparent favourite in sight

Political analyst says PTI may win if it works out seat adjustment with JI.

MINGORA:

District Swat with a population of 1.2 million is divided into two constituencies for the national assembly seats, NA-29 and NA-30. The former is situated in the south-west of the district and shares its border with Malakand, Buner, Shangla and Dir districts.

Comparatively, the literacy rate in NA-29 is higher than NA-30. According to the District Education Officer, 65% of men and 25% of women are literate in the constituency and it is home to almost all the colleges, schools, hospitals and district courts of the region.

In election history, no single party has been able to sustain its position in the constituency permanently. Candidates from all major parties have won the seat in various elections; however, the constituency is considered a stronghold of the royal family.

In the 2002 elections, the late Qari Abdul Baees of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) won from the constituency by a huge margin. Baees received 65,808 votes, while his opponents, Adnan Aurangzeb of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) received 18,265 votes while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan secured 6,060 votes from NA-29 in 2002.

In the 2008 general polls, Muzafarul Mulk Kaki Khan of the Awami National Party won the constituency’s seat by acquiring 19,860 votes against the royal family’s Miangul Adnan Aurangzeb, who contested as an independent candidate and received 17,253 votes. The Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Salimur Rehman obtained 12,774 votes from the constituency.



However, public opinion regarding Muzafar Mulk Kaki Khan is negative as many in Swat believe the former MNA failed to come up to the expectations of voters. They state the minster had neglected the war-torn district and will be rejected if he tried to contest this time around.

An aggravated group of the ANP has also emerged from the constituency whose members have decided to contest independently. “Some of the families have been influencing ANP in Swat, leading it to ignore old party workers and their sacrifices. We will contest independently against the nominated candidates,” said Shah Alam Khan, a senior ANP leader.

Although the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) gained a stronger position with the addition of Amir Muqam and other workers he brought with him, internal conflict remains within the party between the older and newer activists. “We kept the party running during its heyday, now new people have joined and we have been pushed aside. If we do not get a ticket, we will contest as independent candidates, “said Malik Riaz Khan.

It is too early to predict who would win from the constituency in this election; however, tough competition is expected between the candidates of PML-N, PTI and ANP.

Some political analysts say if seat adjustment is made between the PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), then it is likely the PTI will win the seat. “People are very disappointed with the ANP, the PML-N is fraught with internal conflicts on ticket allotment, and the Qaumi Watan Party and PPP have no prominent candidate to stamp out a certain victory. This means the way is paved for the PTI if it works out seat adjustment with JI,” said Minhajudin, a political observer in Mingora.

Assets declared by candidates contesting for NA-29

Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha Lala, the PML-N candidate who was elected provincial minister five times successively owns property worth Rs80 million, a petrol pump, car worth Rs1.3 million, 812 grammes of gold and one million in cash.

The PPP candidate, Dost Muhammad Khan, a matriculate, owns property of Rs3 billion, three cars worth Rs8 million, household furniture/fixtures worth Rs8 million and other miscellaneous items worth Rs31.87 million, along with Rs350,000 in his bank account.

JI candidate Akhtar Ali Khan owns a private school worth Rs2 million, a car worth Rs350,000, 174 grammes of gold and has Rs 250, 000 rupees in his bank account.

Fazal Rahman Nono of the QWP has a BA and LLB degree, he is a businessman by profession and owns a house worth Rs11 million, a plot worth Rs3 million in Islamabad, Rs4 million in business capital, Rs4 million in cash, Rs1 million in the bank, 464 grammes of gold, household furniture/fixtures worth Rs1 million and other valuables worth Rs14 million.

ANP’s Muzafarul Mulk Kaki Khan, a former MNA and a qualified BSc, owns arable land worth Rs143 million, a house worth Rs9.4 million, business capital amounting to Rs70 million, a car worth Rs6 million and Rs19.8 million in cash.

Professor Sher Afghan of the PTI declared his assets as: property worth Rs50.5 million, a car worth Rs1 million, 464 grammes gold and furniture/fixtures worth Rs1.5 million.

The details of the assets of JUI-F candidate, Maulana Muhammad Alam, a teacher by profession are: 46.4 grammes of gold and furniture/fixtures worth Rs200,000.

The nomination forms of all the 35 candidates from NA-29 Swat-I constituency have been approved by returning officer Khalid Khan Mohmand after scrutiny.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2013.

Correction: An earlier version of the story stated an incorrect number of votes received by Adnan Aurangzeb. The error is regretted.