October 14, 2002	Monday	Sha'aban 7, 1423

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ABBOTTABAD, Oct 13: Abbottabad, in particular, and Hazara, in general, proved yet again to be home of Muslim League, no matter whether Q or N, as the two factions won all the four NA seats from Hazara division, two from Abbottabad and one each from Haripur and Mansehra.

In the NWFP province, Muslim League (both N and Q) won nine seats, of which seven are from Hazara.

In Abbottabad district, Muslim League made a clean sweep as both the NA seats were won by Pakistan Muslim League (Q). And of the five provincial assembly seats, two each were shared by the PML (Q) and PML (N) while the fifth went to an independent, who had kicked off his campaign as a PML (N) nominee, but the ticket was later awarded to someone else.

Keeping in view the strong League bonds of Hazara people, ex-premier Nawaz Sharif twice contested from Abbottabad-II and won on both occasions.

MMA, which routed its opponents across the province, could make only a small dent in Hazara division, but none in Abbottabad or Haripur.

Former chief minister, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan’s last-minute efforts put the PML-N in a fighting position though the party failed to field its own candidate on Abbottabad’s main NA seat and backed instead an independent. Though a newcomer in politics, he succeeded in collecting reasonable votes against the much experienced Amanullah Khan Jadoon, the man whom Sardar Mehtab had defeated thrice previously.

Except for Amanullah Khan Jadoon, who is an experienced hand, the other three members of PML (Q) are new faces. Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob had previously been elected only a member of the district council while Omer Ayub Khan, son of Gohar Ayub, is the youngest ever to be elected an MNA from Hazara. Shejhan Yousaf, son of ex-MNA Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, will be counting on his family’s experience in the discharge of his parliamentary duties, but none of his own.