KHYBER TRIBAL DISTRICT
KHYBER: The July 25 election in Khyber tribal district will be a contest between independents with years of experience in politics and statecraft. These heavy weights have been integrated into the political economy of the global war on terror in Afghanistan, and they are key players in the transport and trade sectors.
The only mainstream party to have viable candidates in the run for the district’s two National Assembly seats (NA-43 and NA-44) is the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI).
NA-43 comprises Landi Kotal and Jamrud divisions, while NA-44 is entirely carved out of the Bara division.
In 2013, Haji Shahjee Gul won the election in NA-43 by securing 29,488 votes against ex-parliamentarian Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, who got 19,908 votes. The third position was claimed by Haji Khan Shed of the PTI (9,103 votes).
In NA-44, the 2013 election was won by Nasir Khan Afridi (independent) with a mere 4,200 votes. Iqbal Afridi of PTI remained second with 3,700 votes. The low turnout was owed to the fact that many residents were forced to leave their homes due to the prevailing unrest.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the registered voters in NA-43 are 226,627 (126,574 men and 100,053 women). In NA-44, there are 265,217 voters (150,956 men and 114,261 women).
In NA-43, there are 182 polling stations, including 98 for men and 75 for women as well as nine joint polling stations. In NA-44, there are 190 polling stations (109 for men, 81 for women).
Though there are 18 contestants for NA-43 and 41 for NA-44 in the upcoming elections, but the main competition will be between the same faces that have dominated the area’s politics for decades.
The contest in NA-43 will be among Pir Noorul Haq Qadri of PTI, Haji Shahjee Gul Afridi (independent) and Shermat Khan Afridi (independent).
The campaign team of Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Mufti Ijaz, another candidate in the constituency, complained that Taweedul Islam, a pro-government militia, was supporting Shermat Khan Afridi and they were not letting any other candidate’s supporters enter their areas for canvassing.
Speaking to Daily Times, JUI-F Khyber chapter information secretary Qari Jihad Shah said no other candidate was allowed to canvass for votes in the Zakha Khel Bazaar area. “It is an illegal act on the part of the Taweedul Islam. We have conveyed our grievances to the returning officer,” he said, adding that like the rest of the constituency, Zakha Khel Bazaar should also be open to all for campaign related activities.
In NA-44, former parliamentarians Hameedullah Jan Afridi, Haji Maroof Afridi and Iqbal Afridi (PTI) are the key contestants.
Commenting on the electoral activity, Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) former president Qazi Fazlullah said that tribal people were taking keen interest in the elections this time. “I feel like people will prefer whoever can assure them of addressing longstanding grievances like provision of potable water, electricity, and health facilities,” he said, adding that the turn out in NA-44 was expected to go up because of the repatriation of the internally displaced people.
Women’s vote
Like previous election, there are fears that women would not be encouraged to vote this time as well. In remote areas of the district, all-male tribal councils have been getting together to keep the women away from exercising their constitutional right to vote. Haji Banaris Khan Shinwari, a social worker, said that it would be a travesty if women were kept away from the electoral activity this year as well. He urged the ECP to enforce the 33 percent turnout rule for women, particularly in remote regions like the Zakha Khel Bazaar.
The minority factor
Khyber district has a sizeable minority population as well. Speaking to Daily Times, an executive member of the Pakistan Minority Alliance, Arshad Masih said that there were around 3,000 Christian and Sikh voters in the district. “Our communities are deprived of basic needs. There is no residential colony for minorities, no provision of funds for our churches and other religious places,” he said, lamenting that not a single political party in the district had awarded a ticket for the general seats to a member of the minority community.
Merger
Regarding the impact of the merger of formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with KP, Khalil Jibran, a social activist, said positive effects would be realised in the long-run. He said that the immediate impact had added to the woes of tribal people since funds were no longer available to meet the needs in education, health, electricity, and water and sanitation sectors.
Published in Daily Times, July 10th 2018.
