GUJRANWALA, Feb 17: The results of today’s electoral bouts in two constituencies here will be a litmus test to what extent the assassination of PPP’s Benazir Bhutto and the quest of PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif for restoration of Nov 3 judiciary have impacted those who in the 2002 had voted for religious parties.

The victory of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s Qazi Hameed Ullah in NA-96 in 2002 elections seems to have inspired the two Lahore-based sons of the slain Allama Ehsan Elahi Zaheer — Ibtisaam Elahi Zaheer and Ahtisham Elahi Zaheer — to pitch themselves in NA-96 and NA-95, respectively.

The cleric brothers are hoping to woo the voters having religious, mainly Ahl-i-Hadith, mindset against the candidates of PPP, PML-N and MMA.

Mr Ibtisaam is contesting from NA-96 against Qazi Hameed Ullah of the MMA, Khawaja Saleh of PPP and Khurram Dastagir Khan of PML-N. The PML-Q has fielded no candidate in the constituency.

Both Qazi Hameed and Khwaja Saleh are considered `outsiders’ as Qazi belongs to the NWFP while Khwaja had shifted to Lahore years back.

According to the observers of local poll scenario, in election 2002, people had elected a religious leader in NA-96 as an experiment, but this time around the scene has changed with both major political parties, PPP and PML-N activating their voters.

Qazi is mainly banking on around 5,000 votes of his Madrassa-qualified students and Pashtoons living and trading in Gujranwala.

Ibtisaam and Ehtisham hope to cash in on Ahl-i-Hadith vote bank which is quite considerable in the constituencies. But the Zaheer brothers are not being supported by Central Jamiat-i-Ahl-i-Hadith as they have recently founded their own faction entitled Pakistan Jamat Ahl-i-Hadith. The central Jamiat, mainly through Friday sermons, is asking its voters to go for PML-N.