Snowfall, rains hamper electioneering in upper parts of Hazara

MANSEHRA: Constant rains, snowfall and harsh weather conditions have hampered election rallies, public meetings and door-to-door canvassing in upper parts of Hazara Division.

“Contestants for national and provincial assembly seats postponed their public meetings and rallies as constant rains and snowfall have been hampering the ongoing election process in parts of Hazara,” said Mohammad Arif, a political activist.

Candidates of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami, Awami National Party and independents backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf cut short their programmes and rallies in Mansehra’s two national and five provincial assemblies constituency owing to rain, snowfall and harsh weather condition.

“Though corner meetings scheduled earlier at houses and roofed spaces are going on as usual, rallies and public gatherings planned in open spaces and grounds are either cancelled or being limited to appropriate spaces,” said Arif.

Leaders of political parties seemed reluctant to disclose the cancellation of rallies, programmes and election campaigns and only accepted if current weather conditions continued to prevail next week, it might decrease voter turnover significantly on polling day.

“Though we didn’t cancel PMLN programmes, which mostly are being held inside houses, door-to-door canvassing is affected adversely across the district and neighbouring districts,” Noman Shah, a PMLN spokesman said. He said that owing to continued snowfall and rains in most parts of PK-37 Mansehra-I constituency, widely stretched over urban and hilly parts of Balakot, Kaghan Valley and the tourist resort of Shogran, people stayed at their homes. The younger brother of JUIF contender in NA-15 Mansehra-II, Mufti Kifayatullah, Qazi Habibur Rehman, said his party’s eight programmes scheduled to be held in parts of Mansehra and neighbouring Torghar couldn’t be held and would be rescheduled.

“Our party’s emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman had pleaded with the Election Commission of Pakistan to delay the Feb 8 general elections for two to three months to avoid such harsh winter, but to no avail,” he added. The JUIF leader said that canvassing and electioneering of all aspirants were adversely affected during the last four days owing to rain and snowfall. Electioneering is also adversely affected in NA-14 stretched over to Balakot, Kaghan, Konsh and Siran valleys and rallies and public gatherings were cancelled.