MANSEHRA, Oct 1: The present National Assembly constituency NA-21, Mansehra-II, was NA-15 since the general elections of 1985 to the general elections of 1997.

For this constituency, Begum Fakharuz Zaman Khan, mother of former provincial minister and PML(QA) candidate for PF-56 Wajee-uz-Zaman Khan, fought election in 1985 and 1988 and came forward as a first woman candidate for a general seat in Hazara division.

Nawabzada Salahuddin Saeed, who has won election from NA-21 for five times had contested for the first time in 1985 when he was MA previous student of the International Relations Department of the University of Peshawar.

He got 14,709 votes in 1985 and was elected as the youngest member of the house and his rival candidates, Begum Fakhar and Habibur Rehman Tanoli got 12,567 votes and 10,718 votes, respectively. In 1988 election, the Nawabzada faced three strong candidates and won the election by bagging 20,868 votes.

His rivals, Zarin Gul Khan of NAPP got 14,575 votes, former federal minister for information (late) Mohammad Hanif Khan got 10,466 votes and Begum Fakhar got 10,004 votes. In 1990, the Nawabzada was elected for the third time from NA-21 by getting 19,109 votes and his rivals — former senator Syed Qasim Shah got 16,115 votes, Zar Gul Khan got 11,528 votes and Maulana Abdur Razzaq Aziz of the JUI got 6,733 votes.

In 1993, the Nawabzada was elected for the fourth time from NA-21 on the PML(N) ticket by getting 22,882 votes. His rivals, tribal leader of Kala Dahaka Zar Gul Khan got 18,479 votes, Shaukat Ali Khan of PIF got 7,709 votes and Maulana Hafeez-ur-Rehman of MDM got 5,893 votes.

In 1997 election, the Nawabzada was elected for the fifth time by getting 20,438 votes on PML(N) ticket from NA-21. He defeated Syed Qasim Shah, who got 9,662 votes, Zar Gul, who got 15,817 votes and Mohammad Azam Khan Swati (now district Nazim of Mansehra), who got 17,631 votes.

This time the Nawabzada is contesting on the PML(Q) ticket and is confronting MMA candidate Maulana Abdul Malik, PML(N) candidate Haji Tahir Ali and the district government-backed candidate Faiz Mohammad Khan. The real contest is between the Nawabzada and MMA candidate Maulana Abdul Malik. Faiz is the cousin of district Nazim Mohammad Azam Khan Swati. Haji Tahir Ali, who is the younger brother of captain Mohammad Safdar (retired), the son-in-law of former premier Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, is contesting for NA-21 on the PML(N) ticket.

Nawabzada Salahuddin has got the support of the major tribes of Tanawal and Pakhal valleys. This time, the tribal leaders of Kala Dahaka, Zarin Gul Khan and Zar Gul Khan, have also entered into an electoral alliance with the Nawabzada, which has further strengthened his position and there is every likelihood of his winning the election from NA-21 for the sixth time.