February 20, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 12, 1429

PESHAWAR, Feb 19: Though the people of Swat have pinned great expectations on the newly elected members of Awami National party, what they urgently need is maintenance of peace in the region.

The ANP members are also very clear about the task they have been elected for. In the past too the party managed to get its people elected from some constituencies in Swat and other districts of the Malkand region but it could never sweep the polls so clean in the area.

In the past elections, the people of the area never accepted or rejected a party in such a unanimous way, but in most cases they gave preference to the personalities, families or past services of the candidates.

The trend changed during the 2002 general elections when the people fully supported the Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal and helped it form government in the province.

The reasons for MMA’s victory, as stated by analysts, were so many but the unity among different religious parties was the major factor. The alliance also exploited the US attack on neighbouring Afghanistan. The anti-American slogan proved to be so effective that people in Swat and other districts of the Malakand region backed MMA with full zeal and zest. People of the area were hopeful that the alliance of religious parties would remain committed to the enforcement of Shraiah in the province.

The second unanimous decision of the Swat people was witnessed on Feb 18 when they rejected MMA and supported ANP, enabling it to grab all the provincial assembly seats and one National Assembly seat in the district.

Owing to the security situation and military operation in the district, electioneering was not an easy task but ANP activists succeeded in contacting voters and conveying to them the philosophy of ‘non-violence’ of late Bacha Khan.

The rising militancy in the district which led to military operation also convinced people to side with a party that believed in non-violence and wanted to bring peace to the area.

A number of people told Dawn that MMA leaders never tried to control militants on time rather prolonged the issue in order to save their own skin.

The militancy, later reached to an extent that it caused serious law and order problems where security personnel were beheaded, thousands of people left Swat for safer places and the local economy received a serious setback which could hardly be recovered even with taking of drastic steps by the next government.

Awami National Party MPAs-elect Wajid Ali Khan and Waqar Ahmed Khan when contacted told Dawn that there were many reasons for change of the peoples’ opinion in Swat. They said the people themselves had realised that ANP was the only party of Pakhtuns which really wanted to concentrate on the peoples’ problems.

Referring to the disturbed situation in the district, they said maintenance of peace was their top priorities to rehabilitate people and help boost the local economy.

Now people of the district will be anxious to see how the new rulers resolve their problems as the prevailing situation can be termed a tough challenge for the newly elected members.