Khyber Agency notes: Luring a leery electorate

Many candidates opt to contest as independents following threats to certain parties .

LANDIKOTAL/ BARA:

As the countdown to Election Day begins, militancy-hit constituencies, including NA-45 and NA-46 Khyber Agency, are in full election mode. Every candidate is striving hard, despite threats and restrictions on public meetings, to convince voters that they are the ones to bring positive change and restore peace.

The agency is divided into two National Assembly constituencies. NA-45 includes Landikotal and Jamrud subdivisions, while NA-46 constitutes the Bara subdivision. Interestingly, this is also the first time political parties have been allowed to launch their campaigns in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) following the Political Parties Act.

Notable contenders

PARTIES                                 CANDIDATES

Independent                            Imran Afridi

Independent                            Malik Waris

PML-N                                       Sohail Afridi

QWP                                          Ajab Khan

PTI                                             Iqbal Afridi

JUI-F                                          Shamsuddin Afridi

Independent                            Hameedullah Jan

Independent                            Munsif Khan

Independent                            Nasir Khan

Independent                            M Ayub Khan

The Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and the Muttahida Qabail Party (MQP) have not awarded any tickets.

Former parliamentarian Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, who won from NA-45 in the 2008 polls, will be contesting from the same constituency. Qadri has a large following in Pero Khel, Landikotal, Mullagori and parts of Jamrud tehsil and enjoys considerable support from the area’s tribesmen.

Second to Qadri is independent candidate Haji Gul, a transporter. Gul who did not want to contest elections due to his minimal knowledge of politics, conceded on the insistence of tribesmen from Landikotal following which he submitted his application and launched an election campaign.

Gul claims to be the only independent candidate who is favoured by Afridi and Shinwari tribesmen. “Half of the tribesmen in NA-45 are associated with the transport business and they know me,” he said, adding they will vote for him as an alternative to Qadri.

Gul himself was once a follower and right-hand man of Qadri, but parted ways and decided to contest elections with support from the families of transporters in Landikotal.



ANP candidate Malik Darya also has a good chance in the elections. However, due to the recent targeted attacks on ANP, he has been forced to avoid large public gatherings and conduct local corner meetings instead.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has no strength in the constituency and its workers are scattered. The PPP candidate, on the other hand, might be able to bag a few hundred votes. The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) candidate, meanwhile, has withdrawn from the race.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) candidate Zarnoor Afridi stands strong in the race for NA-45. Zarnoor has been campaigning since 2010 and has focused his attention on middleclass tribesmen and the poor by urging them to demand their rights. Independent candidates like Qadri and Gul may not face a tough time against candidates of other political parties, but are wary of Zarnoor.



Zarnoor told The Express Tribune he had launched several social work projects on his own on humanitarian grounds and not because he wanted votes. He claimed that if the establishment and the political administration officials abandoned favouritism and conducted transparent elections, he would definitely win.

“Everyone knows which candidates are supported by the political administration officials,” he alleged. If elected, he claimed he will not let the political administration and influential tribesmen commit injustices. “I cannot build a dam for these people nor can I make their lives better, but at least I can equally distribute the shares they have with the government.”

Despite election fever, some tribesmen remain less optimistic of widespread change. Haji Abdur Rahim from Zakha Khel tribe said he will not vote for any candidate. “Everyone is shouting for change. What change will they bring?” he asked, maintaining no one has ever done anything for the area.

The general perception towards former MNA Qadri’s tenure is also negative. Tribesmen say most of the projects Qadri initiated were given to his followers and benefited a few individuals instead of communities. Tribesmen in Jamrud claim they were deprived of development as even though Qadri got tube wells installed in the area, it only benefited a few families and not the tribe.



Tribesmen also complained about the severe water shortage due to the unavailability of electricity. They explained a total of 18 feeders provide electricity to Jamrud and Landikotal, while the security forces, Frontier Corps and political administration officials along with a handful of tribesmen enjoy uninterrupted power.

They claimed of suffering more than 20 hours of daily loadshedding for the past five years. The residents said they will vote for those candidates who offer more incentives and can address their problems. However, many accused political administration officials of being involved in pre-poll rigging and favouring a couple of candidates, while sidelining the others.

This constituency constitutes Bara subdivision, a region ravaged by militancy and consequent military operations since 2010. Most of the tribesmen in the area are either living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) or in Peshawar, Kohat or Hangu.

Many candidates contesting from the constituency have opted to contest as independent candidates. The ANP initially awarded a ticket to Imran Afridi, who later decided to contest independently. Nonetheless, he still enjoys support from the party.

Similarly, PPP candidate Malik Waris also decided to contest independently due to threats to secular parties. He too, is being backed by PPP. Due to the ongoing curfew in Bara, no candidate is allowed to hold public gatherings or corner meetings. However, candidates, including former MNA Hameedullah Jan, Munsif Khan, Nasir Khan, and Muhammad Ayub Khan have reportedly managed to secretly hold some corner meetings in Qamber Khel area.

PPP-backed Malik Waris recently addressed Bara tribesmen living in Suliman Talab, Jarma and Babri Bhanda areas of Kohat district. Most independent candidates and those supported by parties have set up their election offices on Ring Road, adjacent to Bara, and also at the Jalozai camp for IDPs.

The PTI has gained some momentum in the constituency after attracting youth from the area. Earlier, the party was not as strong, but its appeal for change attracted some following.

Tribesmen in the area claim the PTI can tap into disgruntled voters because the former MNA from the area had made little or no contribution. PTI candidate Iqbal Afridi said he has motivated tribesmen living in IDP camps and on the outskirts of Peshawar, adding he repeatedly visits Bara to tell them that change is coming and soon the curfew will be lifted.

Malik Muhammad Shah, an industrialist, will also be contesting from NA-46. Muhammad Shah claimed he has the support of 6,000 voters, most of them labourers. Shah claims to have employed 5,000 people in Bara in his personal capacity.

But tribesmen have every reason to remain wary of the claims made by candidates on their respective campaign trails. As most of the voters are residing in camps, they usually attend gatherings for food or an immediate financial reward. Tribesmen say nothing will change because once a candidate is elected, he will not return to their area to address their problems.

Those living in camps claim it would take at least 100 years to implement a democratic system in Fata, especially in those areas where military operations are ongoing. Tribesmen also alleged not a single candidate from Fata can win without the support of the ‘establishment.’ People have already demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan to remove some bureaucrats posted in Fata who  allege are supporting their ‘favourite’ candidate and are involved in pre-poll rigging.

Notable contenders

PARTIES                  CANDIDATES

ANP                            Malik Darya Khan

PPP                             Hazrat Wali

PML-N                         Zahid Afridi

JI                                  Zarnoor Afridi

PTI                              Khan Shed Afridi

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2013.