HARIPUR: In the second phase of the local bodies elections, the intending candidates for the slots of district and tehsil nazims have started their campaigns for amassing maximum support of councillors-elect across the district.

The district has a total of 45 union councils. Out of which, Haripur tehsil consists of 37, while Ghazi tehsil comprises eight union councils. The district council will have another 24 indirectly elected members (15 women, three peasants/workers, three minority and three youth councillors) when it will step in the routine business.

For Haripur tehsil nazim’s post, Eng Nasir Iqbal from Bakka union council, Syed Ashsan Shah alias Mitha Shah from Shah Maqsood union council, Taimur Khan from Dervesh union council and Mohammad Tariq from Sara-i-Niamat Khan union council are in the race. All of them had contested and bagged the seats from PTI platform. The local party leadership, however, is still silent on the battle for the apex tehsil post.

Eng Nasir is a fine political worker and is entrenched in the higher party ranks. He may upset the existing scheme of things. Mitha Shah is a former acting TMA nazim. He has carved up his own supporters’ bloc in the area. Taimur Khan has also backing of a group of councillors. But, Tariq from Sara-i-Niamat Khan may also bring wonders. He enjoys blessings of local leadership.

Some ‘unsavoury characters’ have also jumped into the field with bags of money and they are bent to sideline the democratic process with the ill-gotten wealth. They are apolitical so they suit everybody.

The PTI insiders say that the next district nazim would be from tehsil Ghazi. It is an indigestible news for the 37 district councillors, who have come through a democratic process.

Talking to Dawn, a PPP nazim-elect said that majority ruled in the democratic set-up, but in Haripur that choice had been bestowed to a minority area.

Adil Salam, a district councillor-elect, who may be the would-be district nazim, is a cousin of MPA Faisal Zaman of PTI from Ghazi. This group is usually known as Jahazon Wala group (ships owner group).

Adil Salam is a nephew of Mohammad Rehman, who had put up his nephew Fasial Zaman against Syed Pir Sabir Shah, PML-N provincial head, some years ago and changed the political scenario of the area. Since that Sabir Shah has lost the floating votes in PK-52, Haripur.

Sardar Mohammad Haroon, also from PTI and enjoying the support of a major group, is also aspirant for the district nazim’s post. He himself is tight-lipped, but his supporters are satisfied with the numbers required for the task.

“He deserves to be district nazim, but he will abide by the party line,” one of his supporters said. The current situation reveals that the plutocrats may outsmart the democrats.

The curse of bardrisim (caste-based activity) and dragon of the sectarianism had also diluted the democratic exercise. The Ahle Sunnat Wal-Jamaat (ASWJ) also bagged some 50 seats of different tiers of local councils. The local chief of ASWJ, Maulana Waheed Jadoon, has hosted a reception in the honour of his party men at his residence and termed their victory “a good omen for the party”.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2015

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