TIMERGARA:Major political parties are facing internal differences over nominations for the next elections in Lower Dir.

The district has two National Assembly and five provincial assembly seats.

The Jamaat-i-Islami is worst hit by rifts.

It has named its chief Sirajul Haq for NA-7, Maulana Asadullah for NA-6, Shad Nawaz Khan for PK-13, former MPA Dr Zakirullah Khan for PK-14, former finance minister Muzafar Syed for PK-15, former MPA Izazul Mulk Afkari for PK-16 and former MPA Saeed Gul for PK-17 but most of its registered members and even some shura members are openly opposing these nominations.

A strong dissident group of the party, Jamaat-i-Islami Bachao Tehreek, has fielded independent candidates in PK-13, PK-15 and PK-17, while workers and members in PK-14 Adenzai are opposed to the nomination of Dr Zakirullah.

A district shura member from the area told Dawn that old guards were campaigning against Dr Zakirullah as it recently quit the PPP to join the Jamaat.

He said the party members had informed the district, provincial and central leadership about their reservations about nominations in writing for necessary action, but to no avail.

He said the JI workers would vote for some other candidate just to defeat Dr Zakirullah.

Over 100 JI workers in PK-15 are running a campaign against the candidature of Muzafar Syed.

When contacted, JI district information secretary Arshad Zaman said the party’s provincial chief, Senator Mushtaq Ahmad, would soon visit the district to end the workers’ grievances on election nominations.

Things are no different within the PTI, whose activists are openly objecting to the award of tickets to newcomers.

PTI activist Haji Fazal Wahab has filed nomination papers to contest elections in PK-15 for which the party’s nominee is former SSP Shafiullah Khan, who mostly served in Peshawar.

PTI former district general secretary Ali Shah Mishwani, Syed Alam Shah alias Thany Khan, Malik Inamullah and Khan Sherin, who had contested the 2013 general elections, rejected the party’s nominations, formed the PTI Haqiqi Group and decided that they won’t campaign for party candidates.

The ANP is also facing internal differences on the matter.

It first fielded central spokesman Zahid Khan’s brother Mukhtiar Khan in PK-15 but later replaced him with little known Malik Sajjad Khan to the annoyance of the former.

The party has named Malik Mohammad Zeb Khan for PK-13 attracting opposition from the family of Zahid Khan.

The JUI-F has been divided into three groups with one fielding own candidates in all constituencies of the district and others in some.

The PPP is the only party, which has no differences over election nominations.

It has fielded Ahmad Hassan Khan in NA-6, former MPA Bakht Baidar Khan in PK-14, former provincial minister Mahmood Zeb Khan in PK-15 and former MPA Mohammad Zamin in PK-17. Former state minister Malik Azmat Khan has submitted nomination papers for NA-6 but party sources claim he will withdraw papers soon.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2018