ABBOTTABAD, Dec 9: Sensing that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) is likely to contest the coming elections and the ‘Charter of Demands’ is not going to materialise, the party’s workers and candidates have started a door-to-door campaign and are preparing to open election offices in the city.
Abbottabad district has always been a Muslim League stronghold, but its vote bank is now divided between PML (N) and PML. The seats here are usually captured by either of the two parties.
In the 2002 elections, PML candidates Amanullah Khan Jadoon and Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob had won both National Assembly seats (NA-17 and NA-18) from Abbottabad. Amanullah Jadoon was made a federal minister, while Sardar Yaqoob went on to become the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
Of the five provincial assembly seats, three had been won by PML, one by PML (N) and one by an independent candidate who later joined the JUI (F).
While the Muslim League still possessed an edge over other parties, but delays in election campaigns marred the electioneering process.
PML is depending on veterans like Amanullah Khan Jadoon and Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob, trying to win back seats.
The party has also fielded almost the same candidates who had run for seats in the previous elections for provincial assembly seats.
A tough electoral fight is expected between PML (N)’s Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi and Amanullah Khan Jadoon on a National Assembly seat. He is also trying his luck at provincial seat from his native constituency of Bakot. Sardar Mehtab had won the National Assembly seat in 1988, but he had opted for the provincial assembly and became the chief minister.
In 2002, he was released a few days before the elections, but he did not take part in it and supported independent candidate Dr Azhar Khan Jadoon, who is again contesting the polls.
