PESHAWAR, Dec 16: Rising militancy has affected the election scene in northern areas, especially Malakand.

The area used to be a stronghold of the Pakistan People’s Party but now schoolgirls here wear burqas fearing militant attacks.

In 2002, Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal leader Maulana Mohammad Inyatur Rehman had won the NA-35 seat, but now it appears to be difficult for the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) to bag the Malakand seat. He had polled 37,663 votes, while his rival Lal Mohammad Khan of the PPP got 17,538. Back then the constituency had 206,496 registered voters, out of which 71,471 people voted. The turnout was 34.6 per cent, which was higher than the Peshawar district.

After the death of Maulana Inyat, a Jamaat-i-Islami nominee, Syed Bakhtiar Maani, had won the seat by defeating PPP’s Mohammad Humayun Khan in by-elections. On the Jamaat’s instruction, Mr Maani withdrew his nomination papers on Saturday.

This time around the total registered votes were 231,426, but the turnout is expected to be lower due to the recent violence and lawlessness in the area.

The PPP has once again nominated Lal Mohammad Khan from Malakand, while JUI(F) has fielded Sahibzada Khalid Jan. Nisar Mohammad Khan, brother of District Nazim Fida Mohammad Khan, is contesting on a PPP (Sherpao) ticket.

The late Hanif Khan of the PPP had won the seat twice. His son Humayun Khan won the election for district nazim.

Nisar Khan of the PPP (S) has an edge over other candidates, since his brother Fida Khan is the sitting district nazim.

The PPP has directed local leaders to launch a contact drive and visit houses of estranged workers, who were contesting against party nominees in their respective districts. Ghufran Ahad and Idress Khan who had been running for NA-35 on Saturday withdrew their nomination papers in favour of Lal Khan.

The district has two provincial assembly seats: PF-98 and PF-99. A former PPP MPA and PPP district president, Syed Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, was contesting against Awami National Party’s Nek Amal Khan and JUI-F’s Mohammad Amin Khan for PF-98. Former district nazim Humayun Khan is running against former ANP MPA Shoaib Khan for PF-99.

According to PPP’s Jamal Khan, a nominee of the PML-Q had withdrawn in favour of Humayun Khan.

Traditionally, the ANP and PPP had been competitors in the district, but in the last elections both failed to survive the religious tide blowing in favour of the MMA.