KHAAR, Jan 10: Shahabuddin Khan, who was backed by the Awami National Party (ANP), has won the National Assembly seat NA-44 in Bajaur Agency in the by-election held on Wednesday.
According to unofficial results from 57 of the 61 polling stations,Malik Shahabuddin Khan had bagged 18,650 votes. His rival Haji Syed Badshah, backed by the Pakistan Muslim League, had secured only 4,656 votes, while 852 votes were rejected.
EC officials said the results of four polling stations were awaited, but the number of votes registered there were not enough for Syed Badshah to overcome the deficit.
Though the Political Parties Order has not been extended to the agency, the candidates were enjoying the support of various political parties. The Jamaat-i-Islami boycotted the by-election and observed a black day.
The polling was held peacefully but the turnout remained slim due to the boycott announced by the JI and an informal ban imposed on the participation of 55,000 female voters.
No poll-related violence was reported from any part of the agency, officials said. However, some people attacked a check-post of the Bajaur Levy near Khaar on Tuesday night and snatched guns from the security personnel.
Officials said that several rockets were fired in the area, while hand-grenades were hurled at another check-post in Damadola wounding two Levy men. Tehsildar of Mamond tehsil Abdul Hamid Khan told Dawn that masked men held hostage three Levy men at the check-post for more than one hour and made their video film. The masked men snatched guns from the Levy personnel and set furniture on fire.
The JI held rallies in Khaar, Inayat Kali, Damadola and other areas, asking voters not to participate in the polling. Independent sources said that protest rallies affected the turnout and majority of the voters kept themselves away from the polling stations due to tension while three candidates, Shahabuddin Khan, Syed Badshah and Mohammad Ihsanullah, had jointly decided that female voters would not cast their votes.
