Marred by deadly violence, poor administration and allegations of rigging, the May 30 local elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa may not be the landmark democratic event they were expected to be, but the unofficial results certainly reflect emerging new political trends in the province.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has emerged as the largest political party in the province yet again, but having lost key grounds it had taken from the Awami National Party (ANP) in the 2013 general elections, analysts say PTI is also among the biggest losers.
Weakened by internal bickering among the various groups in its ranks in the province, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been wiped out from the region. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) secured most of the seats in its traditional strongholds of Upper and Lower Dir, but their performance in the rest of the province was not impressive. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) did well securing most of the seats in Swat and Shangla districts, but could not maintain its influence in the Hazara division. Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam’s Fazlur Rehman faction (JUI-F) made significant gains in the Peshawar valley, but lost some districts in its southern strongholds to the PTI.
PPP has been wiped out from the region
Peshawar valley:
PTI secured most of the seats in Peshawar, the capital of the province. It had won 10 of the 11 provincial assembly seats in the city. In Mardan, the ANP and the PTI won 22 seats each. The PTI was the largest party in Nowshera, hometown of chief minister Pervez Khattak, followed by the ANP and the JUI-F.
In Swabi, the three parties in the ruling coalition suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of ANP, which won a majority of district council seatsbeating PTI, JI, and the Shahram Tarakai-led Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP).
Similarly, in Charsadda – the hometown of ANP’s Asfandyar Wali and Qaumi Watan Party’s Aftab Sherpao – ANP seems to have regained the influence it had lost in the 2013 elections, winning 13 of the 49 seats, followed by PTI and QWP with nine seats each. JUI-F won seven seats in the district.
Malakand division:
In Swat, the PML-N has emerged as the largest political party, securing 22 seats. The PTI followed closely behind with 21 seats.
The PML-N also won most of the district council seats in the neighbouring Shangla district, followed by ANP which secured 5 seats. The PTI, PPP, AJIP and JUI-F won two seats each.
The ANP secured eight seats to become the largest party in Buner. The PTI and the JI won seven and six seats respectively.
Malakand is the only district in the province where the PPP has been able to maintain its influence. The district has been called a ‘mini Larkana’ because of wide support for the People’s Party in the area. The JI won in its strongholds in Lower and Upper Dir, with 23 and 21 seats respectively.
In Chitral, religious parties, the JUI- and the JI, won most of the seats. Pervez Musharaf’s All Pakistan Muslim League and the PPP could not do well.
Candidates and residents of Hayatabad UC-43 in Peshawar hold a protest against alleged rigging
Southern region:
A very large number of independent candidates won district council seats in the southern districts, because of their influence and tribal affiliations,analysts say. But there was close competition between JUI-F and PTI. The JUI-F is leading in Hangu, Lakki Marwat, and Bannu districts, but in its ownstrongholds of Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Kohat, it is trailing behind the PTI. The PPP performe poorly in Tank and Lakki Marwat, hometowns of its central leaders Faisal Karim Kunid and Anwar Saifullah.
Hazara division:
The PTI has made important inroads in Hazara division, traditionally a PML-N stronghold. In Abbotabad district, PTI won 22 seats while the PML-N won 20. In Haripur district, the PTI clean swept, defeating the PML-N. In Mansehra, the PML-N led with 22 seats, followed by PTI with 12 seats and the JUI-F with two. The PTI also emerged as the single largest political party in Battagram.
The ANP won the highest number of seats in Torghar district.
"The rigging plan was made at the Chief Minister's House," said a Jamaat-e-Islami leader
Rigging allegations:
Mismanagement, irregularities and rigging allegations raised serious concerns about the elections, however. Leaders of major political parties, including the JI, which is a coalition partner in provincial government, accused PTI of massive rigging, especially criticizing its chairman Imran Khan for not being able to live up to the high standards he had set for others.
“The rigging plan was made at the Chief Minister’s House from where its execution was supervised,” said Sabir Hussain Awam, a provincial leader and former MNA from Jamaat-e-Islami. He said the election commission should declare the polls in Peshawar null and void and order re-polling under the supervision of the judiciary and the army.
“The PTI government used police to influence the elections. At the behest of local PTI leaders, the police harassed their political opponents a day before the polls,” said JUI-F central leader Maulana Shujaul Mulk.
Observers from the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an independent election watchdog, reported 19 incidents of polling stations being captured by supporters of contesting candidates and political parties in nine districts, including Haripur, Peshawar and Bannu. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the provincial government are both responsible for the unrest and irregularities in the polls, FAFEN’s chief executive Shahid Fayaz told reporters in Peshawar. PTI chief Imran Khan dismissed the rigging allegations, saying administration and law and order were the responsibility of the Election Commission.
“It is clarified that maintenance of law and order during the elections is the sole responsibility of provincial government,” the ECP responded in a statement. “The ECP arranged additional force through the Interior Division and the GHQ for beefing up security in the province. In a nutshell, elections are a joint exercise during which no organization can absolve itself of its responsibility.” –TFT Correspondent
