SWABI: Ijaz Akram Bacha, a young Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidate who is contesting the elections from PK-47, Swabi-V, has upset Tarakai House leaders because of his ‘resources and determination’ to counter them, according to local residents.

Bacha belongs to a prominent entrepreneur family and is contesting polls against the Tarakai family members for the first time.

Mr Ijaz is the nephew of late Said Akram Bacha who was runner-up from PK-24 in the 1997 election on the PML ticket.

Observers said the most interesting and serious contest would take place in PK-47 where Shahram Khan Tarakai of PTI and Mr Ijaz wanted to utilise all their available resources to win the election.

They said both Ijaz and Shahram families were cigarette manufacturers and now the two established industrialists were contesting against each other, putting the honour of their families at stake.

Imtiaz Bacha, a PML-N leader, recalled that when the Tarakai family first decided to contest election from then NA-12, Swabi-I, and PK-32, Swabi-II, in 2008, the first ever election meeting of Tarakai family was held at the residence of Mr Ijaz in Karnal Sher Khan Kili.

In the previous two general elections Ijaz’s family supported Tarakai candidates who managed to win.

However, insiders said the relations between Tarakai and Ijaz’s families deteriorated during PTI government in the province. They claimed that Tarakai leaders had promised the family of Ijaz to get a Senate ticket for him, but the ticket was given to Liaqat Khan Tarakai, the father of Shahram.

The PML-N leaders said if Ijaz succeeded to defeat Shahram it would be a great victory for the party.

“Amir Muqam, the PML-N provincial president, was instrumental in bringing them (Mr Ijaz’s family) back to the league,” said Dildar Khan, PML-N district general secretary.

CAMPAIGN GAINS IMPETUS: With only four days left to the July 25 elections, the candidates have launched door-to-door campaign besides organising corner meetings to woo voters.

The workers and candidates told Dawn on Friday that besides having corner meetings they were going door-to-door and were getting good response from the people.

“It’s Pakhtun tradition that when you go to their houses they feel happy warmly welcome you, thus the door-to-door campaign,” said a candidate. The exercise is also aimed to tell the people about their priorities, he added.

Maulana Fazal Ali, who is contesting from NA-18, Swabi-I, said: “This is our last opportunity to reach out to voters. The workers who have been assigned the task in different regions do report about the progress each day.”

The candidates continue the campaign till very late in the night, dividing the areas between the campaign leaders.

Gul Zamin Shah, ANP candidate from PK-44, Swabi-II, said: “We return home from the campaign beyond midnight because these last few days are very critical for them.”

The candidates said their main target in the last days of the campaign was to woo those who were opposed to them.

Qaisar Khan, a resident of Maneri, said the candidates were very diplomatic with the voters. He said almost every candidate had visited their hujra (common guest house), but they would vote according to their own will.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2018