PESHAWAR, Dec 20: Four people with some experience of journalism are contesting elections from different parts of the Frontier province. Three of them have actually left the profession, while one of them, Nadir Khwaja, still works for a Peshawar-based Urdu daily.
Being an independent candidate, Mr Khwaja is vying for NA-32 (Chitral), a difficult constituency. He is contesting against Shahzada Ghulam Mohiuddin of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Shahzada Mohiuddin, a three-time MNA and nominee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Maulvi Mohammad Jahangir of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Mohammad Arif, an independent candidate.
Chitral has been a bastion of the PPP, but its leadership has historically been acting against the aspirations of the people. In the past the ticket for the constituency was given to Piyar Ali Allana, who failed to win the seat.
This time, the PPP has awarded the ticket to the scion of an erstwhile royal family and an Islamabad-based businessman. “We are opposed to the so-called princes, but our leadership has always backed them,” said Safdar Ali, a PPP activist.
Mr Khwaja is sandwiched between the two Mohiuddins of the former ruling family.
Khadim Ali Yousufzai, once a sub-editor for a Urdu newspaper and a nominee of the Pakistan Muslim League-N for PF-3 (Peshawar-III) is contesting against Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party (ANP), Haji Iqbal Mohmand of the PPP, Aurangzeb Mohmand of PPP-Sherpao, Hafiz Abdur Rauf Jan of the MMA.
Maulana Mohammad Darvesh of the Millat-i-Islamia. At present, Mr Yousufzai is the business manager of an English daily published simultaneously from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.
Fakhr-i-Alam, a former president of the Khyber Union of Journalists, is contesting against Sikandar Hayat Sherpao of the PPP-S, Syed Masoom Shah of the ANP, Syed Zakir Shah, an independent candidate, and Mufti Iftikhar Ahmed of the PPP for PF-21, (Charsadda).
Mr Alam has worked for various Urdu and English newspapers of Peshawar. He was an activist of the Jamiat Talaba-i-Islam.
Masoom Shah was president of the People’s Students Federation, while Zakir Shah was president of the Pakhtun Students Federation. Mr Alam has recently returned from the United States.
Sardar Hussain Babak, a former newspaper reporter, is contesting for PF-77, (Buner-I). He is running against Jamshed Khan, a former PPP-S MPA, Liaquat Ali of the PML-Q, Mufti Subhanullah of the MMA, and independent candidates Amir Sultan Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed. The PPP has not fielded any candidate.
Buner is famous for its many saints. The Jamaat-i-Islami, ANP and PML are the main parties in Buner.
