PESHAWAR: Both PPP and PML-N claim to be the largest parties in the country as they have ruled the country several times. But in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both the parties failed to prove their strength during the last two elections.

That’s why they are losing confidence of their workers in the province. On the one hand, these parties are facing internal rifts and on the other the central leaders seem least bothered to pay proper attention to their provincial organisations.

It seems that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is no longer a priority for the central leaders of both the major political parties.

However, as compared to PPP, PML-N has improved its position during the past few years. PPP won 20 seats of provincial assembly in 2008 general elections while PML-N got only seven seats. But in 2013, PML-N increased the number of seats to 16 while PPP’s strength was decreased from 20 to five MPAs only.

Both PML-N and PPP fail to prove their strength during the last two elections

The May30 local government elections become controversial when almost all political parties and independent candidates expressed reservations and dissatisfaction over the process by describing it the worst rigged polls. That’s why Election Commission of Pakistan announced re-polling in several union councils in the province.

Apart from the poll results and reservations of the people over the process, every party knows well about its own weaknesses, internal differences and other reasons of its failure to get the required target.

The PPP workers believe that internal differences and alliance with ANP harmed their party in the local government elections. They openly blame central leadership for forming alliance with ANP and ignoring revival of the party in the province.

PML-N is in the power in centre and its workers expect the leadership to pay proper attention to re-organisation of the party in the province besides approving development projects to boost their morale. However, the expectations of PML-N workers are still far from being fulfilled.

A number of senior workers and office-bearers of PML-N told this correspondent that they were expecting to win maximum of the seats in the local government elections in the province but the leadership did not take it serious.

They said that many people had lodged complaints against rigging but despite that they tried to gather maximum number of elected persons to form governments but PML-N leadership did not take interest in the process.

Apparently PML-N has a strong vote bank in the province but the results of local government elections show that it dominates only Shangla and Swat districts where the credit goes to its senior vice president Eng Amir Muqam, who has maintained personal contacts with the people.

Hazara division used to be a stronghold of PML-N in the past but the party lost its position in the local government elections. Several heavyweights of the party including Capt Safdar, Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Federal Minister Sardar Yousuf and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi belong to Hazara but even then PML-N failed to emerge victorious in the polls.

Sharing views with this correspondent some senior workers of PML-N blamed central leadership for its failure to pay attention to the party in the province. They counted several occasions, especially election campaigns, when the central leaders were supposed to visit the province but they did not turn up.

However, PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam said that his party could form local governments in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohat, Shangla, Swat and Town-4 of Peshawar.

Amir Muqam said that he had completed his plan to form governments in Swat, Shangla districts and its tehsils. He said that Town-4 Peshawar fell in NA-4 which, he considered, his personal constituency.

Peshawar district president of PML-N Abdul Sattar Khalil said that lack of coordination among the party leaders caused their defeat in the polls. “Everyone should work in accordance with party constitution and discipline and keep close coordination to strengthen the party,” he added.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2015

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