Tourist resort: Popular hill station Murree abuzz with politics
With electioneering in full swing, businesses suffer.
Electioneering is in full swing, and has changed the very character of Murree. PHOTO: INP/ FILE
MURREE:
This time of the year, Murree, the idyllic, lush green hill station tucked away in the north-west Himalayas, is usually a popular choice for tourists and people from across the country wanting to beat the heat and load-shedding.
However, this summer season, which coincides with the election season, is different. Very different.
An unusual summer
Mall Road – the road leading to GPO Chowk, the preferred backdrop for photo ops – no longer hosts throngs of visitors, parking lots are empty, and the multi-storeyed flats wear a deserted look.
While the number of tourists has decreased, political workers are ubiquitous. Electioneering is in full swing, and has changed the very character of Murree. Political parties have even set up offices in restaurants and hotels at GPO Chowk. The PPP and PML-Q share the same election office, while others, including Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and PTI, have also set up their offices.
With most of the youths busy in electioneering and few tourists, local businesses are facing a crunch. “Our average trade during these days used to be around Rs30,000 to Rs40, 000, but currently it is around Rs8,000,” says a salesman at a small store on the Mall.
Murree Traders Association President Abdul Hameed Abbasi agrees with the salesman. “About 2,000 shopkeepers in Murree City and its suburbs have been affected,” he says. However, Abbasi is quick to look to the bright side.
“At least people are taking the elections seriously,” he says.
Change in the offing?
As Murree passes through the election progress, the buzzword of ‘change’ echoes through the hills. However, the PTI is not the only party at work here.
Qari Saifullah Saifi, Mutthaida Deeni Mahaz’s candidate for NA-50, is very active. He has been knocking on every single door, promising to address the perennial problems of the region.
“People are dissatisfied with the performance of their previous elected representatives. They want change,” Saifi says, even though he is pleased that an elected government has completed its five-year term. “This is a good omen and after two or three elections, the system will mature.”
Saifi is a local cleric and says that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal, JI, and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) are supporting him. “Though our alliance is not like that of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal in the past, the religious vote-bank will not divide,” he adds.
Advocate Zulfikar Abbasi, a practicing lawyer, says that although the PTI has generated enthusiasm among the youth, it has not fielded a strong candidate for NA-50. However, it is still bound to give a tough time to other mainstream parties.
Current political scenario
Today, there are 13 candidates in the race and the PPP and PML-Q have formed an alliance. PPP’s Ghulam Murtza Satti is contesting NA-50, and Sardar Saleem Khan is contesting PP-1. Both parties have not fielded candidates against each other. Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have both addressed rallies in the area, and the presence of their parties is obvious. Nawaz has promised mega projects in health and education sectors.
PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is considered as one of the strongest contenders. He continues to meet people as eagerly as he did during the last five years. However, PML-N’s critics allege that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has shifted mega projects of the area to his constituency, including a 200-bed hospital.
Locals expect the turnout to be higher than the 2008 elections. “I will make sure that all 12 votes of my family are cast,” says a shopkeeper.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2013.
This time of the year, Murree, the idyllic, lush green hill station tucked away in the north-west Himalayas, is usually a popular choice for tourists and people from across the country wanting to beat the heat and load-shedding.
However, this summer season, which coincides with the election season, is different. Very different.
An unusual summer
Mall Road – the road leading to GPO Chowk, the preferred backdrop for photo ops – no longer hosts throngs of visitors, parking lots are empty, and the multi-storeyed flats wear a deserted look.
While the number of tourists has decreased, political workers are ubiquitous. Electioneering is in full swing, and has changed the very character of Murree. Political parties have even set up offices in restaurants and hotels at GPO Chowk. The PPP and PML-Q share the same election office, while others, including Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and PTI, have also set up their offices.
With most of the youths busy in electioneering and few tourists, local businesses are facing a crunch. “Our average trade during these days used to be around Rs30,000 to Rs40, 000, but currently it is around Rs8,000,” says a salesman at a small store on the Mall.
Murree Traders Association President Abdul Hameed Abbasi agrees with the salesman. “About 2,000 shopkeepers in Murree City and its suburbs have been affected,” he says. However, Abbasi is quick to look to the bright side.
“At least people are taking the elections seriously,” he says.
Change in the offing?
As Murree passes through the election progress, the buzzword of ‘change’ echoes through the hills. However, the PTI is not the only party at work here.
Qari Saifullah Saifi, Mutthaida Deeni Mahaz’s candidate for NA-50, is very active. He has been knocking on every single door, promising to address the perennial problems of the region.
“People are dissatisfied with the performance of their previous elected representatives. They want change,” Saifi says, even though he is pleased that an elected government has completed its five-year term. “This is a good omen and after two or three elections, the system will mature.”
Saifi is a local cleric and says that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal, JI, and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) are supporting him. “Though our alliance is not like that of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal in the past, the religious vote-bank will not divide,” he adds.
Advocate Zulfikar Abbasi, a practicing lawyer, says that although the PTI has generated enthusiasm among the youth, it has not fielded a strong candidate for NA-50. However, it is still bound to give a tough time to other mainstream parties.
Current political scenario
Today, there are 13 candidates in the race and the PPP and PML-Q have formed an alliance. PPP’s Ghulam Murtza Satti is contesting NA-50, and Sardar Saleem Khan is contesting PP-1. Both parties have not fielded candidates against each other. Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan have both addressed rallies in the area, and the presence of their parties is obvious. Nawaz has promised mega projects in health and education sectors.
PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is considered as one of the strongest contenders. He continues to meet people as eagerly as he did during the last five years. However, PML-N’s critics allege that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has shifted mega projects of the area to his constituency, including a 200-bed hospital.
Locals expect the turnout to be higher than the 2008 elections. “I will make sure that all 12 votes of my family are cast,” says a shopkeeper.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2013.