PTI’s Nawaz Mehmood to contest against Amir Muqam in Shangla

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist Nawaz Mehmood Khan said he is preparing to challenge the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial President Amir Muqam in their native Shangla district in the coming general election, but needed help from his party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to put up a good fight.

Talking to The News, he argued that Amir Muqam is vulnerable and can be defeated in Shangla. “The PTI-led provincial government gave Amir Muqam a free hand. If my government had given me support, I could have cornered Amir Muqam in Shangla and prevented him from travelling all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and focusing on strengthening the PML-N in the province,” he argued.

Nawaz Mehmood belongs to a well-known family from Chakesar in Shangla district. His grandfather Khan Bahadur Afarin Khan was a commander in the army of the Swat state till 1950 and was a friend of Swat’s ruler, the Wali of Swat. He was also a member of the West Pakistan Assembly in the 1950s and 1960s.

Having studied at the Burn Hall College in Abbottabad, Nawaz Mehmood became involved in social work from an early age. He served as member of the managing committee of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society for six years. He is also the president of the Business Services Welfare Community of the University Town Peshawar.

Nawaz Mehmood contested the 2013 general election as a PTI candidate for the National Assembly constituency, NA-10 Shangla. The contest was won by Dr Ibadullah, the younger brother of the PML-N provincial President Amir Muqam. According to Nawaz Mehmood, no regional, provincial or central PTI leader held any public meeting in Shangla to campaign for him in 2013. “I was hoping that my leader Imran Khan’s helicopter will land in Shangla to give a boost to my election campaign. I was contesting against Amir Muqam even though he had fielded his brother in the polls on the PML-N ticket. I needed help from my party leadership to be able to defeat him, but my long wait ended in disappointment,” he recalled.

Nawaz Mehmood pointed out that Amir Muqam and PML-N had an advantage presently over all other candidates and parties in Shangla and this would help him in the coming election. He explained that Amir Muqam was an advisor to the Prime Minister, his brother was an MNA and his son was District Nazim for Shangla. Besides, he said after the recent disqualification of PTI MPA Monem Khan his position as chairman of the District Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) has gone to the PML-N MPA from Shangla, Rashad Khan. “The PTI should empower the potential PTI candidates from Shangla so that we are able to serve the electorate. Though it is quite late in the day to do something for the voters, giving us an office and some powers would increase chances of PTI candidates in the coming polls,” he argued.

According to Nawaz Mehmood, he had twice applied for the PTI ticket for the Senate election, but was ignored. He said Shangla didn’t get the required attention from the PTI government and this gave a free hand to Amir Muqam since the May 2013 election to strengthen his vote-bank in the constituency.

Nawaz Mehmood pointed out that Abdul Monem was first disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan in April 2017 and later his appealed in the court against the decision, but even then he was made president of PTI Shangla instead giving the responsibility to someone else in the party. He said the PTI lawmaker Shaukat Yousafzai has still not decided to contest the next election from his previous constituency in Peshawar or from his native Shangla. “In such a situation, I have decided to apply for the PTI ticket from the National Assembly constituency in Shangla to challenge Amir Muqam. A little help from the PTI government in the province will improve my chances in the polls,” he added.