MANSEHRA: Electioneering has gained momentum in NA-15 constituency where 16 nominees of mainstream political parties including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and independents are vying for the seat of National Assembly.

With nine days left for general elections, the nominees of political parties and independents have been putting all their energies behind canvassing in the widely mountainous and difficult terrain of Mansehra and neighbouring Torghar district.

Of the 16 aspirants, half are independent candidates. Thirteen others have withdrawn their nomination papers during the scrutiny and withdrawal stages of the election scheme.

NA-15, Mansehra-II, where tough competition is expected among mainstream political parties is stretched over PK-38, PK-39 and PK-40 of Mansehra and the sole provincial assembly constituency of PK-41 Torghar demographically.

PML-N has fielded its supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, JUI-F Mufti Kifayatullah, PPP Zargul Khan, Pakistan Nazriyati Party Rustam Khan, PTI-P Saleh Mohammad Khan, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan Tahir Riaz and Jamaat-i-Islami has fielded Mohammad Khalid for the seat.

Two women aspirants including Sannaya Sabeel and Umbereen Faiz Sheraz, the daughter of former minister Faiz Khan, are among eight independent candidates. Besides them, Babar Khan, Safeer Ahmad, Shahzada Mohammad Gustasap Khan, Qazi Tayyab Shahzad, Mohammad Irshad and Mohammad Haroon are also in the run for the seat.

The rivalry between PML-N and JUI-F has been heated up at gatherings and corner meetings as the latter has refused to withdraw its contender Mufti Kifayatullah in support of Nawaz Sharif.

Retired Captain Mohammad Safdar at a public gathering announced that JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman would ask Mufti Kifayatullah to withdraw in favour of Nawaz Sharif as both parties were parts of Pakistan Democratic Movement.

However, JUI-F provincial emir Senator Attaur Rehman said Mufti Kifayatullah was the choice of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his party would never give a walkover to PML-N aspirant in the Mansehra constituency.

JUI-F, on the other hand, also faced the same dilemma when its leader Maulana Nasir Mehmood told a gathering in Oghi that PPP would withdraw its ticket holder Zargul Khan from the race in Kifayatullah’s support.

However, Zargul Khan told a gathering in Torghar that he had bagged more votes than Mufti Kifayatullah in the elections held in 2018 against PML-N’s Mohammad Sajjad Awan, the brother of retired Captain Safdar.

PTI has been supporting former provincial minister Shahzada Gustasap Khan following the returning officer, Hajrah Samee, rejected Senator Azam Khan Swati’s nomination papers and Peshawar High Court’s regional election tribunal in Abbottabad upheld her ruling.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2024