MURREE: Murree tehsil in NA-57 has witnessed a change in voter behaviour, from clan-based political support to divisions at the family-level.

NA-57 is being contested mainly by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi from the PML-N, PTI’s Sadaqat Abbasi, PPP’s Mehreen Anwar Raja, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Javed Akhtar Abbasi, but the race is really between the PML-N and the PTI.

The hill resort town has always been considered a bastion of the PML-N with a clan-based voting system, but during visits to various polling stations in the tehsil, Dawn noticed divisions all the way down to siblings who were voting for separate parties.

Visits to polling stations found even siblings divided over who to vote for

Votes also diverged between national and provincial assembly seats, with people voting PML-N on one and PTI on the other. In some cases, TLP voters’ families were voting for the PTI.

Kashif Hussain, a voter from the Sehr Bagla union council whose family voted for candidates from various parties of their own choice, said there used to be a trend that the head of the family would make commitments, on behalf of their family or sometimes even the entire village, with leaders of political parties.

The trend has shifted now, mainly because of greater political awareness. In the Phagwari union council, the Dehla political family that used to vote the same way was also divided.

Muzaffar Abbasi, one member of the Dehla family, was actively campaigning for the PML-N while his first cousin Hafiz Yasir campaigned for the TLP and another cousin campaigned for the PTI.

This change in voting patterns will have a considerable impact on the election results in this area, and PTI’s provincial assembly candidate Latasab Satti from the Satti clan may also receive substantial votes.

“I am going to vote for Shahid Khaqan Abbasi from the PML-N for the National Assembly seat and Latasab Satti from the PTI for the provincial assembly seat. I don’t care about the commitment my elder cousin made with the PML-N of votes from all family members,” a voter from the Aliot union council who asked not to be named said.

As he queued to vote, the voter said social media had played a big role in raising awareness among people.

“What to talk about clan-based voting, now there are divisions even in immediate families which is good for democracy,” he said, adding that in the past Abbasis had been reluctant to vote for Sattis but this time people were voting for candidates of their own choosing rather than following the family trend.

A visit to the Dewal union council, the former prime minister’s home union council, found that Sadaqat Abbasi and Latasab Satti had received a good number of votes from this area.

NA-57 consists of Murree tehsil, Kotli Sattian tehsil, Kahuta tehsil and parts of Kallar Syedan tehsil. There are 590,372 registered voters in the constituency.

The constituency was first won by Khaqan Abbasi in 1985 on a non-party basis. After his death, his son Shahid Khaqan Abbasi won the seat as an independent and then won it again in 1990 under the banner of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad.

He won the seat again in 1993 and 1997 but lost in 2002 to then PPP leader Murtaza Satti.

Although official results have yet to be announced, it has been observed that the former prime minister faced tough competition in this constituency.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2018