PESHAWAR: Begum Nasim Wali Khan-led Awami National Party-Wali is unlikely to pose any threat to the mainstream ANP as the people by and large see the latter as the genuine heir of Bacha Khan’s dynasty.

The elderly woman, who was once the provincial president of ANP and would call the shots, went into hibernation when she was removed from the position by the party in 2006. She emerged in February last year to announce her own faction of the nationalist party.

Since her appearance on the political scene she has been alleging that the ANP under Asfandyar Wali Khan has committed record corruption during its rule in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Asfandyar, who is the stepson of Begum Nasim, has been the target of her campaign, but her party doesn’t seem to cause a dent in the mainstream ANP in coming local government (LG) elections.

Early this week, Begum Nasim tasked the ANP-W’s district and tehsil leaders to gear up the campaign for LG polls. Again, she didn’t forget mentioning the rival ANP and asked the participants to form alliances with all political parties except ANP at the grassroots level.

ANP is undeterred by Begum Nasim factor in the polls and they have reasons too. A little complication, she may cause to ANP, will be in Charsadda district, but that will in no way be affecting the party’s vote bank. Even in Charsadda, the birthplace of red-shirt movement started by Bacha Khan, the ANP-W is unlikely to make any headway.

Political dynamics have changed. In fact, Begum Nasim is the first Pakistani woman to be elected on one National Assembly and one provincial assembly general seats in 1977 election. She came to politics by default when her husband, Abdul Wali Khan, was sent to jail, but she later proved her skills.

Now the situation is completely different. Three factors usually determine results of the local elections and these are landlordism, religion and political dynasties. These are more or less true for the whole province. Any political force which can challenge the three factors could make inroads into the local alliances which have dominated election in the past.

In Charsadda, Begum Nasim’s party doesn’t have any prominent person in its fold. The tripartite alliance of ANP, JUI-F and PPP takes only Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf seriously because of its new agenda. However, ANP-W seems to have no programme. It has been indulging in a smear campaign against Mr Asfandyar.

ANP-W doesn’t have electables nor has it any new issue to lure the voters.

In the current situation a party has to present a new programme to people or stay in alliance, otherwise the chances of vote gathering remain slim. Unlike her first innings when she was young, articulate and assertive and visited the nook and corner of the province, she is too old to catch up with contemporary politicians in the present day politics.

Her message to the ANP followers that she is the real heir of Bacha Khan and Abdul Wali Khan has fallen on deaf ears. Unlike the reunion of ANP Senator Azam Khan Hoti with his son and former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti after intra-family disputes, she is in no mood to seek peace with her stepson. The gulf between the two is huge.

Existing mechanics of the power politics leave no place for the party to breath and therefore the ANP-W may not get anything out of the coming LG elections in terms of votes as it continues to focus only on Asfandyar-bashing.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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