Two-time MNA from influential Malik family faces vibrant party campaigns

MOHMAND The mobilisation done by the Pashtun Tahhafuz Movement and a relatively well-charged campaign by political parties is set to give two time Member of National Assembly (MNA) from Mohmand, Malik Bilal Rehman, a run for his money in NA-42 (old NA-36). The odds may further get stacked against him with a higher than usual turn out on July 25, owing to the return of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the past few years. Though there are more than 20 contenders for Mohmand’s only national assembly seat, but seven of them should be looked out for on the election day. Besides Malik Bilal Rehman, who hails from traditionally influential Malik family, the July 25 contest will feature Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s Sajid Mohmand, Awami National Party’s Nisar Momand, Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl’s Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq (a former MNA), Jamaat Islami’s (JI) Saeed Khan (the runner up in 2013), and Zar Khan Safi of PML-N. Pakistan Peoples Party has awarded the ticket to Israil Khan, a close aide of Akhundzada Chattan, ignoring its longtime associate Farooq Afzal. According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, there are 255,552 registered voters (158,873 men and 96,673 women) divided among Mohmand’s seven tehsils: Haleemzai, 38,925; Khwezae, 14,244; Baezae, 42,127; Ambar, 26,127; Prangar, 13,263; Yakkagund, 23,031; Pandyali, 43,319; Safi 54,346. Hitherto, the votebank in Mohmand has remained divided along tribal lines and politics has been patronage-based. Bilal Rehman has so far wooed voters because of the civil works undertaken with aide of his family’s links in the bureacracy in Peshawar and Islamabad. However, the amendment in the Political Parties Ordinance during the PPP’s term in office and the recent merger of formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with KP has changed the political environment in the area, says Mureeb Mohmand, a local journalist working with an English language newspaper. This time, political parties are running strong campaigns, and Bilal Rehman is likely to face a tough competition from ANP, PTI, JI, and JUI-F. A high turnout may make the situation further difficult for him. In 2008, Mohmand was in turmoil due to militancy. With thousands shifted to the IDP camps, the turnout in the poll remained less than 30 percent, significantly lower than the national average. The 2013 election also took place amid unrest. This time, peace has returned to the district, and pundits are forecasting a higher turnout. Bilal Rehman secured the 2008 election with over 6,000 votes. In 2013, he bagged 9,005 votes and won the seat. The runner-up, Saeed Khan of JI, polled around 5,600 votes, followed by ANP’s Nasir Khan (4,635) and Ghulam Muhammad Sadiq (4,631). Among these candidates, Ghulam Sadiq and Saeed Khan will bank of the network of JUI-F seminaries and philanthropic works undertaken by JI’s Al-Khidmat Foundation, respectively. Nisar Khan’s charged campaign is expected to boost his vote share, especially if he manages to capitalise on his activism for the FATA merger. The mobilisation done by the PTM is also likely to benefit the ANP. Rehan Momand, a writer and a social worker, says he had voted for Bilal Rehman in the previous two election but will cast ballot for a political party candidate this time. “I will read party manifestos and then make a decision,” he says, adding that he will pay attention to positions on human rights, education, and health. [Lack of] representation: Mohmand’s Christians vow to boycott election Nooni Raza is among the 300-odd voters of Mohmand’s Christian community who have pledged to boycott the July 25 election. Speaking to Daily Times, he says candidates visit Christian neighbhourhoods just once before elections to seek votes and never return after winning. “We have wasted our time and energy in voting in the past. This time, we will enjoy the day off from work and spend it with our family,” says Raza, who has a fulltime job in a local hospital’s sanitation department, but he drives a rickshaw in the evening to make ends meet. “We have no [Christian] graveyard in the Agency, and no dignified jobs in government departments. Our community members are considered only for odd jobs even if they meet education qualification for better paying jobs,” he says. He gives the example of his wife who is a university graduate but stays as home since she has yet to hear from employers she has sent her CV to. Published in Daily Times, July 7th 2018.