Campaign for PK-8 by-poll yet to gain momentum

18 candidates in the field

PESHAWAR: The election campaign for the by-polls on the provincial assembly constituency PK-8 has yet to gain momentum.

Some 18 candidates are in the run including seven party ticket-holders. The rest are contesting in independent capacity. The by-polls is scheduled to be held on May 12.The withdrawal of nomination papers by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) candidate Fazlullah Daudzai in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Shahzad Khan has brought together on a single platform the tripartite ruling alliance.

The Qaumi Watan Party has already put its weight behind the PTI candidate.On the other hand, the main opposition parties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly have fielded their own candidates.

The provincial assembly seat includes rural Peshawar villages such as Pajjagi, Khazana, Larama, Haryana, Takhtabad, Mamo Khatkay and other union councils in the north of Peshawar city, It fell vacant after the death of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Arbab Akbar Hayat Khan.

The PML-N has awarded ticket to Arbab Mohammad Waseem Khan, nephew and son-in-law of late Arbab Akbar Hayat while another of his clan-fellow Arbab Mir Afzal Khan is contesting the election on the ticket of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid.A former provincial minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai, who was the runner-up in 2013 general election, has been nominated by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) .

The Pakistan People’s Party has fielded former MPA Malik Tehmash Khan, whose brother Malik Firdous had won the district council election against PML-N candidate in the last local government polls.

Awami National Party has chosen a young and new face Ijaz Ahmad Seemab for the PK-8 constituency where the party had lost its previous vote-bank since the 2002 general election.There are no prominent or influential persons amongst the independent candidates who can give a tough time or affect the votes of party candidates in the constituency.

The local people believe that a tough contest is expected between the aspirants from the JUI-F and PPP.Hailing from the same locality, the PTI and ANP candidates can affect one another’s votes while an independent candidate Daulat Khan, who recently joined the PTI, may become a headache for Shahzad Khan, who won the district council seat by a big margin in the last local government polls.

The electoral symbol (batsman) of an independent candidate can also confuse the voters supporting the PTI.Though corner meetings are being held by the party candidates and billboards have been displayed on the main Peshawar-Charsadda Road, no big rallies or
public meetings have been held by any party in the constituency.

The local people also say that the turnout might be low as the by-polls would be held during the wheat harvesting season. This would benefit the candidates belonging to urban and populated union councils in the constituency.

Independent candidates for PK-8 Peshawar are Anwar Gul, Khalil Ahmad, Sarwar Khan, Shah Jehan, Tariq Khan, Alamgir Khan, Fida Mohammad, Fayyaz Ali Noor, Malik Haji Iqbal, Mohammad Yusuf, Daulat Khan and Hussain Shah.