Polls in tribal districts: JI parliamentary board finalises 15 candidates

PESHAWAR: With some slight changes in the already announced nominees for the upcoming provincial assembly election in the recently merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the central parliamentary board of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Thursday accorded approval to the names of 15 candidates for the 16 constituencies.

The board, which met in Islamabad with central chief of the party Senator Sirajul Haq in the chair, reiterated the party’s earlier decision to make solo flight in the election. However, a senior member of the party told The News that in politics no decision can be deemed as final because talks can still be held and adjustment reached with other political forces.

But no such efforts or contacts with other political forces, especially the religious parties could be made as yet, he said. “We are open to talks. If any political party or individual approach us, we would happily sit with them and reach some viable conclusion,” he remarked. The religio-political parties had contested the 2018 general elections from the platform of Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal, a conglomerate of five religious parties with Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) as leading partners.

However, the MMA had not been extended to the merged districts, which were known as Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) at the time. The MMA component parties had contested the general election for the National Assembly seats from the former Fata in an independent capacity.

“We had not been in alliance in the erstwhile FATA. We would take part in the elections in the tribal districts again separately rather than as part of an alliance,” Abdul Wasi, provincial secretary general of JI told The News. He was quite confident that his party would have leading position in Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber districts. “JI candidates in the other districts are also strong and popular,” he said.

According to sources privy to the meeting, the provincial chapter of the party had finalised 10 candidates several weeks back for the election in the merged districts.

However, after detailed deliberations, some of the names were changed and five more names were added to the list, the sources said. The 10 names which had already been finalized included Sahibzada Haroonur Rashid, Maulana Waheed Gul and Sirajuddin Khan for Bajaur, Malik Farid and Malik Fazle Raziq for Mohmand, Shah Faisal Afridi, Shah Jehan and Raihan Gul for Khyber, Malik Raj Mohammad for Orakzai and Dr Samiullah Jan for South Waziristan.

Among them, Raihan Gul of Khyber district has been replaced with Murad Hussain due to the former’s poor health condition. Similarly, Dr Amjad Noman was made the party’s nominee to contest from PK-108 Kurram-1, Haji Rahmanullah for PK-112 North Waziristan-II, Mrs Haji Yaqub for PK-109 Kurram-II, Saifur Rahman for PK-114 South Waziristan-II and Haji Mohammad Hussain for PK-115 former Frontier Regions.

The Election Commission has fixed July 2, 2019 as polling date for election on the 16 provincial assembly seats in the merged districts. However, the election may face delay if the proposed bill pertaining to delimitation to increase the number of seats in the merged districts is tabled and passed in the National Assembly.

JI also wants increase in the number of seats in the merged districts. “We would support the amendment to increase the number of seats in the merged districts. But the timeframe for completing the process should be given,” Abdul Wasi said.