LAKKI MARWAT: The poll candidates of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F are in trouble as head of Khanqah-i-Zakori Sharif Pir Mohammad Fawad Raza Zakori has refused to run their election campaign.

The Pir of Zakori has vast influence in the provincial assembly constituencies of PK-92, Lakki Marwat-II, and PK-93, Lakki Marwat-III.

The political influence of Zakori family can be judged from the fact that in 2008 by-elections, Fawad Zakori’s father late Pir Dr Mohammad Khalid Raza had won the provincial assembly seat of PK-92 (then Pk-75).

The seat was vacated by Anwar Saifullah Khan who had won two provincial assembly seats. The influential Saifullahs had supported Pir Khalid Raza in the by-polls.

The spiritual leaders have always played a vital role in the electoral politics of Marwat area. In the past the Saifullah brothers and their arch rival, late Haji Mohammad Kabir Khan, had won elections with the support of spiritual dynasties.

Taking into consideration the vital role of pirs in local politics, the JUI-F also went close to them and swept 2013 elections in the district with the support of Zakori family.

But this time the JUI-F is in trouble as it could not convince Pir Fawad Zakori to join and run electioneering of its candidates for national and provincial assembly seats.

Mr Fawad Zakori has not visited the district so far nor has he given any clear signal to his followers to support candidates backed by JUI-F. Well-informed sources told this correspondent that JUI-F former MPA and PK-93 candidate Anwar Hayat Khan had met Pir Fawad at his residence in DI Khan a few days ago to discuss the political and electoral scenario of Lakki Marwat.

“Mr Hayat had requested Fawad Zakori to help him run a successful campaign in the constituency,” they maintained.

The sources said Fawad Zakori did not offer any help to JUI-F candidate and also refused to accompany him in his election campaign. “The absence of Fawad Zakori in poll campaign will badly impact the position of Hayat in PK-93, Malik Noor Saleem in PK-92 and Maulana Mohammad Anwar in NA-36,” they claimed.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2018