SHANGLA: Activists of different political parties in Shangla poured onto the streets after Friday prayers against the final delimitation of constituencies announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday.

Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Awami National Party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Qaumi Watan Party and Pakistan Peoples Party leaders and workers staged rallies in different parts of Shangla against the ECP’s decision, saying the final delimitation would benefit a certain party.

Rallies were staged in Puran and Chakesar tehsils.

In Chakesar, JI leader Sher Alam Khan, Altaf Hussain of ANP, Shuakat Ali of JUI-F, Nazir Ahmad of PPP and others addressed the rally, saying under the final delimitation Chakesar tehsil had been divided into three parts and its areas had been included in all the three provincial constituencies of the district.

JI leader Sher Alam said an attempt was made to ‘snatch’ the right to vote of Chakesar people. “We are going to find out as to who had influenced the election commission to make such inappropriate changes to the constituencies,” Mr Alam warned.

He asked the ECP to withdraw the decision.

JUI-F leader Shaukat Ali said parts of Chakesar tehsil had been included in four tehsils. He said his party would oppose the decision at all forums.

ANP leader Altaf Hussain said final delimitation seemed to benefit PML-N.

The political leaders announced that a legal team would be constituted to file a petition in the high court against the delimitation.

In Puran, local people, including political activists, blocked the Puran-Martung Road in Aloch Bazaar against the final delimitation, demanding immediate reversal of the decision.

PTI’s Puran tehsil chairman Abdul Maula Khan, ANP’s Zakir Khan, Fazalullah of PML-N, Najamullah and Syed Ghaffar from JI, Rehmanullah of Awami Workers Party and others spoke.

They claimed ECP had divided Puran tehsil into three parts, with some union councils added to Alpuri, some to Chakesar and still others to Martung.

They said they would boycott the upcoming polls if ECP did not withdraw the decision.

When contacted, PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam told Dawn that the political parties’ allegations that he was behind the final delimitation decision were baseless.

He claimed PTI and PPP leaders had submitted applications to ECP, demanding changes to the first delimitation.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023