SWABI: A leading industrialist of the district contesting local government elections on the ticket of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Biland Iqbal and Awami National Party’s former tehsil nazim Ghulam Haqqani are locked in a tough contest for Razaar tehsil chairman slot and both have been claiming to emerge victorious in the Dec 19 local government elections.

Momin Shah of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl,Mohammad Farooq of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Akhtar Hameed of Jamaat-i-Islami are among other candidates for the tehsil top slot and their campaigns are gaining momentum.

Contesting elections for the Razaar tehsil seat is considered a tough task as 20 of 56 union councils of the district are located in this tehsil and the candidates have to cover a wide region to secure people’s support.

Biland Iqbal is the uncle of Shahram Khan Tarakai, the provincial minister for elementary and secondary education, and he had lost the union council nazim election in the previous LG election. On the other hand, Ghulam Haqqani had not only won the UC nazim election, but also remained the first nazim of Razaar tehsil.

Interaction with leaders of the two parties has made it clear that they have set their eyes on the upcoming general elections and winning the tehsil chairman slot will be a great boost for any party in this regard.

“The Tarakai family is striving to maintain its dominant position, and we are working for achieving the past glory of our party. Razaar belt is the stronghold of our party,” said ANP leader Mukhtiar Khan.

One of senior political activists, not related to ANP, said that Ghulam Haqqani was leading the race right now.

MNA Usman Khan Tarakai, MPA Mohammad Ali Tarakai, Shahram Tarakai and Senator Liaquat Tarakai all belong to one family. Mr Biland is part of the same family and they would try their best to ensure his win, said an independent observer.

ANP leaders here say that record inflation and falling popularity of the ruling party are boosting points for Mr Haqqani. JUI-F, JI and PML-N leaders said their candidates had been very much in the contest and working for winning the election.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2021