TIMERGARA: The Election Commission of Pakistan Lower Dir office has finalised fresh delimitation plan for two national and five provincial assembly constituencies in the district.

The Islamabad High Court had set aside delimitation of constituencies in Lower Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa among several other districts on May 30.

The Lower Dir earlier had one National Assembly seat (NA-34) and four provincial assembly seats (PK-94, 95, 96 and PK-97). According to new delimitations, Lower Dir now has two NA constituencies (NA-6 and NA-7) while the number of provincial assembly seats was increased to five, including PK-13, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

The district will have two NA and five PA seats

The Lower Dir district has a population of 1,435,917 with a total 681,837 registered voters.

The tehsils of Adenzai, Timergara and Khall including one union council in Balambat and Rabat were included in the NA-6, while rest of tehsils like Munda, Samarbagh, Maidan and four union councils of Balambat tehsil were included in NA-7.

The total number of registered voters in NA-6 Dir is 351,245 including 145,576 female voters. Similarly in NA-7 Dir the number of registered voters is 330,592 including 132,537 female voters.

According to the fresh mapping, the PK-13 (the newly created constituency) is comprised of Koto, Haya Serai, Lajbok, Shalpalum, Munjai, Khall, Toormang and Rabat union councils. According to official data of the ECP the total population of PK-13 is 298,704 and the number of registered voters is 124,619 including 48,998 women voters.

The previous PK-97 with a total population of 317,504 was renamed as PK-14 and all union councils of the Adenzai tehsil were included in it. The total number of registered voters in this constituency is 140,809 including 59,851 women voters.

The previous PK-94 was renamed as PK-15 and the areas of Timergara municipal committee, Khungi, Bandagai, Bagh Dushkhel, Noorakhel and Shahikhel union councils were included in it. The population of this constituency is 255,600 and the number of registered voters is 143,381 including 60,151 women voters.

Similarly the total population in PK-16 is 265,273 with a total number of 112,215 voters including 43,645 women. The union councils of Khazana, Mian Kalay, Munda, Samar Bagh, Mayar and Sadbar Kalay have been included in PK-16.

The PK-17 Dir constituency comprises Miskini, Darangal, Kambat, Zaimdara, Gall Maidan, Bishgram, Lal Qila and Kotkay union councils of Maidan. The total population of PK-17 is 298,836 with a total number of 160,813 voters including 65,438 women.

The Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq is contesting from NA-7, ANP’s central spokesman Zahid Khan and PPP’s prominent parliamentarian Ahmad Hassan Khan are running for NA-6 while former provincial minister Muzafar Syed of the JI and Mahmood Zeb Khan of the PPP are contesting from PK-15.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2018