CHARSADDA: Like his father, 69-year-old Asfandyar Wali Khan, the chief of ANP, is contesting the July 25 general elections, perhaps for the last time, against a cleric.

Maulana Gohar Ali Shah, in his 70s, had beaten the nationalist leader on his home turf in the previous elections. ANP blamed its defeat on the then Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud for terrorising its candidates and depriving them of level playing field but this time a visit to the constituency, NA-24, in Charsadda revealed only ANP election offices were prominent on the main road passing through Rajar-1, Rajar 11, Utmanzai, Umarzai and so on.

“In 2013, locals would not even let us in their street but this time we have almost knocked every door during the election campaign,” said Shah Raza Shah, who was sitting with campaigners in an election office on Rajar Road. Things are not as good as for other political parties but still this time ANP workers are charged and ready to face all odds.

ANP workers seem charged to make victory of Asfandyar possible in polls

“This could be the last time Asfandyar Wali Khan might be contesting. His son Aimal Wali Khan is taking part in general elections for the first time,” said Mr Shah. He added that it took a lot of convincing in general council of ANP to ask its central president Asfandyar Wali Khan to contest as the workers did not want Khan Abdul Wali Khan’s like tragedy and see him retire without winning his last contest.

The first president of ANP, Khan Abdul Wali Khan, had quit electoral politics spanning over 50 years after a defeat at the hands of a religious scholar Maulana Hassan Jan in 1990 in the same constituency. His son Asfandyar Wali Khan, who remained an MNA and senator, has been president of ANP since 1999.

“No political party would manage a clean sweep but our party workers are more energised and hopeful as compared to the last time. We see a tough contest between ANP leader and MMA candidate Maulana Gohar Ali Shah,” said Mr. Shah. He said that their leaders were almost besieged in their homes and told by government not to go out as there were threats.

He said that sometimes at night Aimal Wali managed to come out and see party workers despite threats. He said that situation was different for other leaders, who were free to roam the streets in the campaign season.

However, a PTI worker, sitting in the election office nearby, said that staying away from people of the constituency would be main cause of the political death of ANP leaders.

“God knows why Asfandyar comes out to meet people so rarely. I don’t know if it is threat or some personal issue but he doesn’t comes out much whether it is a public meeting or meeting people of his constituency,” said Haji Hayatullah, a PTI supporter. He believed that it would be the major reason of his defeat because other candidates were holding corner meetings and meeting people personally.

Qari Shoaib, an MMA supporter, was of the view that religious-minded people would not just vote for Maulana Gohar but also because he had been able to make them happy with developmental works. He said that their campaign was going smooth and even they took out rally at the main bazaar the other day.

Zainul Abideen, another MMA supporter, who is also local councillor, criticised ANP leader and his son for not coming out to campaign themselves but sending out local officer-bearers f the party like Arshad Abdullah, the former law minister in the ANP government, just because he was ‘clean’. He taunted that still he was not contesting as he let Aimal Wali to contest in his place from PK-58.

MMA and PTI, the rivals of ANP, say that Asfandyar Wali Khan’s tragic flaw is staying away from his own people in his home constituency due to threats but ANP supporters allege that they had been deprived of level playing field last time and threats to their candidates and leaders are real even today.

ANP just recently lost one of its candidates for PK-78 Haroon Bilour in a suicide attack. Asfandyar Wali, who barely escaped a suicide attack in his home while four others including his guard were killed in Oct 2008, is still in danger as a latest National Counter Terrorism Authority in its briefing to Election Commission of Pakistan said that his name was on the hit-list of terrorists.

Although ANP leaders and workers were under attack due to its involvement in war against terrorism and its offensive against militants in Swat after coming into power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2008 general elections, yet their political rival taunted them for fleeing at the sound of a bang referring to Asfandyar’s flying in a helicopter soon after attack on him and after that mostly staying out of town.

But the ANP supporters, who have seen in recent years their leader speaking at different political gatherings despite his poor health and threats, say that they would campaign for him so that he can win this last contest of his political career.

“We should value our leaders when they are alive than just praising them when they are killed in a suicide attack or die natural death,” said Mr Shah in response to their opponents’ criticism of the ANP leader.

The ANP workers looked, however, undeterred by such taunts and seemed charged this time. They said that there was a renewed spirit of nationalism. ANP central president’s young son Aimal Wali Khan sounds like he wants to continue his forefather’s legacy of being the voice of Pakhtuns by becoming a legislator and also facing an old politician and MMA candidate Haji Ihsanullah Khan.

PTI candidate for NA-24 Fazal Khan of Shiekhabad, a political rival of Wali Bagh, is yet another contestant, who could divide the vote of Khans and Mullas in the constituency. Interestingly, PTI and MMA workers don’t consider ANP a strong enough contender for them but ANP workers are of the view that their Khan would be contesting a clergy and they want him to win one last time to redeem not only himself but also his late father.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2018