Bannu local govt: Saifullah brothers make last gasp efforts against JUI-F

Brothers attempting to form grand alliance against opponent

BANNU: It appears the Saifullah brothers of Lakki Marwat have set foot in the local government electioneering with a one-point agenda – to uproot Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl from southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

After succeeding in their mission in Lakki Marwat, the brothers have started to make their move before the final round of LG polls ends in Bannu. While other districts were electing their nazims and naib nazims on Sunday, there was little commotion in the district and tehsil council halls of Bannu. Pursuing a petition, the Islamabad High Court had stayed polls of LG offices at the district level and in one tehsil. The court’s ruling bought the Saifullah brothers time to regroup and prepare for another offensive.

First blood

During the past four days, former federal ministers Anwar Saifullah Khan and Salim Saifullah Khan have held a series of meetings with different politicos. On Tuesday they met Chief Minister Pervez Khattak; they are said to be on excellent terms with Special Assistant to CM on Transport Malik Shah Muhammad Wazir. On Wednesday they were present at the residences of leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Bannu. PPP’s Sher Alam Wazir and PML-N K-P Vice President Pir Sahib Zaman have both received offers from the Saifullah brothers’ to form an alliance against Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party.

In their hometown, the brothers hosted the ruling parties, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami, PPP, PML-N and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid on a single platform against JUI-F. The huddle was further strengthened by a forward bloc emerging from the party being targeted by the six parties.

Track record

The Saifullah brothers have a history of associations with different political parties. As of now Anwar is part of the PPP and his son is a sitting senator. Salim is a sleeping associate of the PML-N. Their other brother Humayun Saifullah is still part of PML-Q while Javed Saifullah is a PTI member.

Bannu region was earlier a stronghold of the Saifullah clan however after its disintegration into Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts, JUI-F emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the 1990s when Akram Durrani was elected as an MPA from the area. Since then the Saifullah brothers have found it difficult to break through.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th,  2015.