PHOTO: MOHAMMAD NOMAN/EXPRESS/FILE
With Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq vacating the PK-95, Lower Dir-II K-P Assembly seat and moving up to the Senate, his party is likely to face a closely fought battle in by-polls for the vacant slot.
On one hand, JI is plagued by internal rifts, while on the other the party nominee will be up against Haji Hidayatullah for the Lower Dir seat. The latter’s significant contributions to the development sector while serving as K-P minister for livestock in the previous ANP-led government made him rather popular.
Siraj was elected from PK-95 for a second term as MPA in the 2013 general elections. He previously won the seat in 2002 from the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal platform. Both times he secured the position of senior minister in the provincial legislature.
Meanwhile, his former party mate Hidayatullah joined ANP in 2007 and was given a ministry when Amir Haider Khan Hoti became chief minister after the 2008 elections. Though Haji Hidayatullah was a strong candidate against Siraj in 2013, security threats limited his campaigning and he was unable to retain the seat. However, now that Siraj has vacated the seat, JI will have to field another candidate against the popular Hidayatullah.
The religious party is likely to receive support in the form of its coalition partner, the ruling PTI. At the same time, Hidayatullah will try to win the backing of PPP and JUI-F both of which have strong roots in the area.
Humayun Khan and Saeed Bacha, son of the late Sardar Alam Bacha, are considered among the favourites to secure a JI ticket to contest for the seat. Khan served as Munda tehsil amir for the party, while Bacha is also keen to contest elections for PK-95 from JI’s platform. The latter’s father was elected to the provincial assembly from this constituency in 1985, 1988 and 1990, proving the family has strong support from locals.
Meanwhile, Haji Bahadar Khan, another former MPA from PK-95, is likely to contest as an independent candidate. He backed Hidayatullah in the 2008 elections, but later developed differences with the former minister for livestock. He opposed Hidayatullah in the 2013 polls and contested as an independent candidate. Bahadar recently left ANP after failing to win intra-party polls for the office of district president.
ANP, PPP and JUI-F have already formed a tripartite alliance for the local bodies’ polls and it is therefore likely that Hidayatullah will be their consensus candidate for the by-election. Other political parties such as PML-N, QWP and PTI do have a presence in the area, but they are unlikely to pose any threat to JI or ANP candidates.
In an effort to woo Hidayatullah back to their camp, JI stalwarts have made overtures towards him. However, he has refused to do so and now party leaders are left to strategise for the upcoming by-polls expected this week.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2015.
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