Consolidating losses: Opposition parties reclaim lost glory in by-polls

PTI retains winning streak in K-P, loses only one vacated seat to ANP.

PESHAWAR:

By-elections proved to be a relief for some opposition parties who managed to stage a comeback in various parts of the province by forging multi-party alliances regardless of their ideological differences.

The ‘tsunami’ imprint, however, remained strong as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) retained all the seats vacated earlier by PTI leaders with the exception of NA-1. In contrast, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) failed to retain even its Lakki Marwat seat.

PTI’s continued winning streak in the by-elections indicates the party can survive and continue its presence in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) political arena without the presence of party chief Imran Khan. However, the win on three seats will not make much of a difference in terms of gaining a large majority in the assembly.

Political observers termed the contest for NA-1 Peshawar a close one. Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Ahmad Bilour clinched victory over PTI’s Gul Bacha to win the seat for the fifth time. Bilour has won by-elections twice in 1988 and 1997, but lost to Imran Khan with a wide margin in the May 11 general elections.

This time around, full support was extended to Bilour by Pakistan Peoples Party, JUI-F and a few Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supporters who were present at polling stations and assisted ANP workers. Observers had even linked the by-election in NA-1 to the survival of the Bilour family in politics.



Elsewhere, ANP candidate Ahmad Khan Bahadar won from PK-23, Mardan, which will strengthen the party’s and opposition’s strength in the provincial assembly.

In NA-5, Nowshera, PTI candidate and chief minister’s son-in-law Imran Khattak retained the party’s seat by defeating ANP’s Daud Khattak by a wide margin. However, 16,000 women were said to have been prevented from casting their votes and re-polling will be held on the orders of the Peshawar High Court.

The alliance of opposition parties did not prove to be effective for ANP in NA-13, Swabi where its candidate lost to PTI’s Aqibullah, brother of K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. Aqibullah was backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan and Qaumi Watan Party.

From PK-42, Hangu, independent candidate Shah Faisal won the seat. Faisal is the brother of slain MPA Fareed Khan who won the seat in the general polls but was gunned down on June 3.

There was, however, some consolation for JUI-F in PK-70, Bannu where Azam Khan Durrani, cousin of former CM Akram Durrani, defeated PTI after a close contest.

Post-election statements

Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told The Express Tribune on Friday that elements bent upon rooting out the ANP had failed. “ANP won 32 seats in the 2008 general elections, upon which some elements were furious and have been hatching conspiracies against our party ever since. That is why we faced a defeat in May,” he claimed.

“I learnt political tactics in Hyderabad Jail during Ziaul Haq’s regime from the then ANP central leader Khan Abdul Wali Khan along with Sardar Attaullah Khan Mengal and other stalwarts,” added the MNA-elect. “Politics is not a cricket game; it requires hard work.”

Bilour also expressed gratitude to the JUI-F and PPP for lending their support.

Special Assistant for Mineral and Mining to the Chief Minister, Ziaullah Afridi said ANP’s win was certain. “We are satisfied with the votes our candidate received, but the fact that we had two candidates for NA-1 cost us the seat,” he said while referring to dissident leader Samad Mursaleen’s decision to contest independently.

On the other hand, JUI-F Spokesperson Abdul Jalil Jan claimed the party’s candidate secured the same number of votes in PK-70, Bannu as in the May 11 polls. He termed lackluster turnout in Lakki Marwat as the reason for their defeat in NA-27, where the results of 30 polling stations are still awaited.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2013.