Tough contest for two seats in Hazro Tehsil

Five nominees competing from Punjab Provincial Assembly.

ATTOCK:

As the election day approaches, competition between two candidates on the provincial assmebly seat in Hazro tehsil is getting the most attention in the area. In PP-16 Attock II, the total registered vote bank is 186,69,41. This time there are only five nominees from the provincial assembly from PP-16.

Colonel (retd) Shujah Khanzada holds a ticket of PML-N. He won the previous elections as an independent candidate. He belongs to village Shadi Khan.

Shujah’s late paternal uncle Taj Khanzada had been winning previously from this seat. Even now the PML-Q from Punjab is enjoying the same seat which they got after PML-N’s workers skipped to the party formed during the General (retd) Musharraf’s rule. He was the strongest candidate for this seat. But since many candidates are standing for this seat, his chances for victory are questionable.

Dr Ateequr Rehman is a general secretary of JUI Punjab. He belongs to Behboodi village of Chach. His father Qari Saeed became a provincial minister by gaining victory from this seat. Rehman is contesting for this seat for the third time from this area. He has the support of 2,000 clerics from the region.

He can get benefit only if votes have been distributed to many. This time votes will be divided amongst Khanzada, Raza Khan, Qazi Ahmed Akbar and Dr Naeem Aiwan due to which the benefit can get transferred to Rehman.

Qazi Ahmed Akbar belongs to Jatyal village. This is the first time his family has come from the platform of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for this seat. He is likely to succeed due to an an alliance with Amin Aslam whose vote bank is already big enough. Secondly, he is the ticket holder of PTI. He can easily get vote from the youth of Pakistan.

Dr Naeen Awan belongs to PPP. He belongs to Barazai village. He is also contesting for PP-16 seat for the third time. He has remained nazim of union council. His chances of winning the elections are very slim because of the party. In the history of Chach, not a single candidate has ever won election from the seat.

Secondly, his own vote bank is not good enough to support him. He gets the votes from his own party and the beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme can extend to him their full support.

Raza Khan holds a ticket of Major Group. He belongs to village Behboodi and is contesting the elections for the first time. This time, Khan’s position is very strong and his competition is expected with PML-N’s Khanzada.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2013.