If at first you do succeed…: Five former CMs eye another shot at public off ice

Analyst says some are running for more than one seat for political insurance.

PESHAWAR:

Five former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief ministers are eyeing another shot at public office.

Those in on the race are Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Akram Khan Durrani, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Pir Sabir Shah and Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao. Hoti, Durrani and Khan will be contesting for both national and provincial assembly seats, while Shah and Sherpao will run only for a provincial and national assembly seat, respectively.

The prospect of clinching a seat in the upcoming elections, however, remains unclear for the former chief ministers. “They are very cautious about their future and are contesting for both provincial and national seats for political insurance,” said analyst Aqeel Yousafzai.

“Contesting for an NA seat acts as a bargaining tool; if the contestant’s party fails to get majority votes in the province and they have no chance of becoming the chief minister, they can opt for the national assembly,” maintained Yousafzai.

Running from more than one constituency indicates that these people are financially well-off and can afford to campaign for elections, which is why parties award them tickets, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2013.