SWABI: The Awami National Party is in shock after its complete elimination in July 25 elections from the district which remained the second home of Bacha Khan and stronghold of the party leaders after Charsadda.

In the history of Swabi district, it was for the first time that general elections were entirely swept by a single political party while handing down a crushing defeat to the candidates of all other major political parties.

Apart from ANP, none of the candidates of other political parties put up a real fight in the election race. For instance, former KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser won the election from NA-18, Swabi-I, and secured 78,970 votes. The runner-up candidate was Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s candidate and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl central deputy chief Maulana Fazal Ali who got34,217 votes. The same was the case with candidates in other constituencies.

PTI wins two NA and five PA seats

Qaumi Watan Party leaders said that the July 25 elections were controversial before they were held.

“We had planned to restore the past glory of our party in the general elections like we did in the local government elections, but we were rejected by the voters. The strategy adopted by us could not work for unknown reasons,” said a local leader of ANP.

The ANP leaders silently admitted the victory of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidates from the two National Assembly and five provincial assembly constituencies in the district.

Asad Qaiser won from NA-18, Swabi-I; Usman Tarakai NA-19, Swabi-II; Rangaiz Ahmad PK-43, Swabi-I; Asad Qaiser PK-44, Swabi-II; Abdul Karim PK-45, Swabi-III; and Mohammad Ali Tarakai PK-46, Swabi-IV; and PK-47, Swabi-V.

As a result of clash in PK-47 one PTI worker was killed and three others were injured and an FIR had been registered in Kalu Khan police station against ANP district president Ameer Rehman who was contesting the election from this constituency.

Gul Zamin Shah, who contested election from PK-44, told this correspondent that during the final days of the campaign none of the observers here could predict such a huge defeat, but suddenly something occurred behind the scene. “We reject the election results because it was not held in a transparent manner,” he said.

Also, it was learnt that the health of three people, who were injured in a clash between ANP and PTI activists on the polling day in PK-47, is improving.

Meanwhile, Maulana Fazal Ali of JUI-F rejected the election results here on Friday. “The PTI workers had opposed Asad Qaiser as the people of the region did not like him then how he won from NA-18,” he asked while talking to this correspondent.

He alleged that Mr Qaiser emerged as a winner as a result of rigging. “Our agents did not receive the official result and they were not allowed to enter the polling stations,” he claimed and said that the Election Commission of Pakistan had failed to hold free and fair elections.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2018