By-polls: Three major contenders to spar for PK-50 come Jan 23

Seat vacated after Supreme Court disqualified Yousuf Ayub Khan over fake degree.

HARIPUR:

Electioneering has picked up pace in Haripur now that the election commission has divulged the dates for the by-polls in PK-50 Haripur-II.

Candidates are busy visiting different villages to win over jaanbaaz or followers, who they believe will play a decisive role in the outcome of the polls. Late night meetings and promises of development are also common as candidates are keen on wooing those who distanced themselves from the May 11 general elections. The district has been a stronghold of the Tareens, Rajans and Gujjars for the last six decades.



The PK-50 seat fell vacant last month after the Supreme Court disqualified Yousuf Ayub Khan for submitting a counterfeit degree and ordered re-election in his constituency. Khan’s BA degree, which he presented during the 2002 elections, was termed fake by Punjab University.

Yousuf lost to Qazi Asad in 2002 while his younger brother Arshad Ayub lost to Asad in 2008. He, however, emerged victorious in 2013 after defeating former provincial minister Asad and went on to serve as minister of communication and works for over five months.

After the date for the by-polls was set as January 23 by the election commission, electioneering soon gained momentum and the battle is now expected to be between three strong contenders.

The first contestant vying for the seat is Yousuf’s younger brother Akbar Ayub Khan. Akbar is a new entrant in politics as this will be his first election. Akbar runs his own construction firm and is banking on the political and social muscle of his brother, who has served as a minister twice.

Yousuf has been trying to secure PTI’s ticket for his brother. Even though the matter has not yet been decided, he is confident of winning the seat owing to his services to Imran Khan’s party.

Yousuf’s rival, Asad ended the stronghold of Tareen family during 2002 when he first defeated him and joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. In 2008, he defeated Yousuf’s brother Arshad as an independent candidate and became the minister for higher education in Awami National Party’s government after joining Bacha Khan’s party.

However, Yousuf finally had his opportunity when he defeated Asad during the 2013 elections with a margin of a mere 2,000 votes after losing support of some close friends and the entry of former union council nazim Khursheed Khan.

It is still not clear if Asad will contest on PML-N’s ticket this time or continue as an independent candidate. He enjoys the support of Major (Retd) Habib Ullah Tareen, former provincial assembly speaker and a close relative of Akbar Ayub, who has a strong vote bank that can help Asad win the seat for the third time.

Analysts, however, say Asad could have been a strong candidate against Akbar if Babar Nawaz Khan, another new entrant from Khalabat Township, would not have jumped in the arena. Babar announced his plan to contest for the seat a few days back and started campaigning more actively than others.

The eldest son of late provincial minister Akhtar Nawaz Khan, Babar is contesting as an independent candidate and is likely to cause a dent in the vote bank of both Asad and Akbar. Babar’s uncle, Goher Nawaz Khan is the incumbent MPA of QWP from PK-51 Haripur-III and yields influence in PK-50 too.

Other candidates who are likely to test the waters are Pakistan Falah Party chief Qazi Atiqur Rehman, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat’s Qazi Hafeezur Rehman and Pakistan Peoples Party’s Tahir Qureshi.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2013.