December 26, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 15, 1428

TAXILA, Dec 25: A tough competition is expected among three arch-rivals for the provincial assembly seat of PP-7 (Taxila- Chakri) Rawalpindi-IV.

Though there are six candidates in the fray, the actual contest would be among Mohammad Shafeeq Khan of the PML-Q, Zille Huma of the PML-N and Chaudhry Kamran Aslam, independent. The other candidates are Askari Hassan Syed (PPP), Hafiz Mohammad Haroon (JUI-F) and Malik Mohammad Khalid (independent).

The constituency comprising semi-hilly and plain areas of Taxila, Chakri, Sahil and Adiala has its own geo-political significance, as on the one side there are Taxila city with its eight UCs in the constituency while on the other there are Chakri and Sahil having rural and clan-dominated area of Potohar where clan and group affiliations overshadow political parties.

With its main rural population, the main clans of Gujjar, Khattar, Awan, Kashmiri and Syed dominate the area. In the final countdown, clan affiliation would play a decisive role.

At the same time, people have a strong affiliation with political parties in the urban areas, especially in Taxila old city.

The constituency has 167,574 registered voters - 88,226 males and 79,348 females, while the total population of tehsil Taxila is 471,612 whereas. As many as 157 polling stations would be set up in the constituency.

Of the three main candidates, PML-Q’s Shafeeq Khan is a former banker. Though a new comer in politics, he belongs to a politically powerful family. He is brother of former federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan and Taxila tehsil nazim Sadeeq Khan. Both of them are extending all-out support to him in the election campaign. Besides, he has also the support of some very strong groups and clans of the area.

Ms Humma of the PML-N is also a new face in politics. She is wife of former MPA Umar Farooq of the Kohistan group. She has so far not made any public appearance nor addressed any public meeting in the area. Her election campaign is being run by her husband Mr Farooq and PML-N’s central leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Her position would be further strengthened after party chief Nawaz Sharif addresses a public gathering here on December 28.

The third important and strong candidate is former provincial parliamentary secretary for revenue Chaudhry Kamran Aslam. Mr Kamran and Mr Sarwar were sailing in the same boat in the last general elections but now they are opposing each other.

He won the 2002 elections with a huge margin grabbing 35,583 votes as independent candidate from Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s “Khan group” by beating PML-N candidate Safeer Khan who got 25,518 votes. Mr Kamran later joined PML-Q and was appointed as provincial parliamentary secretary. He later parted way with his group leader and now is contesting for the national as well as provincial assembly seats as an independent candidate after returning the party ticket.

The Khattar and Gujjar clans in Chakri along with Sahil and Syed groups are supporting him in Taxila.

Jamaat-i-Islami’s boycott of the election would also play a significant role, as the religious party has a sizable vote bank in the area.

However, the PML-N leaders claim that the JI votes would go to their candidates. It may be mentioned that in the 2002 general elections, the MMA-backed candidate had clinched 9,916 votes in this constituency.