Peace lovers defeated evils in Swat

[BazirKhan]

The joint candidate of ruling ANP-PPP alliance Rahmat Ali Khan won the by-election for PF-83 Swat-IV on Thursday and retained the seat that had fallen vacant due to the demise of his brother. According to unofficial results, the ANP candidate Rahmat Ali secured 6,952 votes while his close runner up Jalat of the PML-Q bagged 3,304 votes. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s candidate Sher Khan obtained 3,208 votes and former minister of the NWFP and JI candidate Husain Ahmad Kanju secured 2,820. The constituency had fallen vacant due to the tragic demise of MPA Shamsher Ali Khan in a suicide attack at Kabal Tehsil.
the defeat of the evils forces is clear message of peace to the world community.

[BazirKhan]

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The newly elected member of the NWFP Assembly from Swat PF-83 constituency, Rehmat Ali Khan Friday rejected the claim that his party rigged the by-election.

“The security situation was not good and we even could not run our election campaign. My party was unable to announce development projects,” he said, adding that the civil administration was also not in command that they could use it. He said there were a large number of security forces personnel, police and their polling agents so how could they rig election?

“I even did not visit polling stations,” he argued. Rehmat Ali Khan said the people had sympathies with his family after the death of Shamsher Ali Khan, his slain brother and former MPA. “My nephew and brother have been murdered and our house razed to the ground for no fault and people acknowledge our sacrifices,” he said and added ANP had given sacrifice of 300 of its workers. “Look back two years and examine security situation and analyse it now,” he said arguing it had improved markedly. He said the process of election was fair and transparent. He said losers always complained of rigging.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at the Mingora Press Club Friday, the three losing candidates - Sher Muhammad Khan of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Jalat of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid and Hussain Ahmed Kanju of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) demanded re-election on the seat.

They accused the government of being involved in rigging the elections by deputing their blue-eyed boys at each polling station and said the administration was used to rig the polls. They staged protest demonstration in the Mingora bazaar and chanted slogans against the Awami National Party (ANP) leaders for alleged rigging. They also condemned Provincial Minister for Science and Technology Ayub Ashari for calling himself as the brother of the militants.

According to unofficial result of the Election Commission, Awami National Party’s Rehmat Ali secured 7,505 votes against Jalat of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q who got 3,884 votes. The turnout of the election was very low at 17.53

[BazirKhan]

JI suffers 5th defeat after 2008 elections boycott

By Yousaf Ali

Suffering defeats in Thursday’s by-election on provincial assembly seat in Swat and a National Assembly constituency in Mansehra, the Jamaat-e-Islami has failed once again to make it to the parliament.

This proves the fact that boycott from general election in 2008 was not a right decision, which it has been repenting. After boycotting the general elections, the Jamaat has been striving hard to make it to the parliament, but to no avail. The JI ended its election boycott by taking part in the by-election on NA-28 Buner on December 28, 2008.

After that it has been taking active part in each and every by-poll but it could not be succeeded on any occasion. In Buner, which was the first election contest by the party for the incumbent assembly, the JI candidate Bakht Jahan Khan could not succeed despite winning the first round of the election with a clear margin. The election on the said constituency was held in two rounds, as due to massive bombing on a polling station there - Shalbandai — polls on 14 polling stations had been postponed.

The Jamaat also took part in by-election on PF-30 Mardan, by fielding former MNA Dr Ataur Rahman, who, too, suffered a defeat. On PF-1, Peshawar, the Jamaat was again in the field. Here the party nominated Haji Dost Mohammad, who faced a defeat.

In the by-polls on PF-83 and NA-21, the JI tried its luck but in vain. Its candidates were not in the competition even. Hussain Ahmad Kanju, who was considered a strong candidate, could get only 3749 votes that is half of the 7505 of Rahmat Ali, the winning candidate on PF-83, while on NA-21, Dr Asghar Ali secured only 4500 votes against 36,622 of JUI-F’s Laiq Khan.

After defeat in the five consecutive by-elections, the JI will now take party in the by-polls on PF-76 Lakki, where it has not very good election history. The JI leaders are, however, of the opinion that the Jamaat is a political party that believes in change through the ballot.

Elections provide a better opportunity to the party to motivate its workers, which is why they have been taking active part in the by-elections. They say that they had not boycotted elections for all times. “We had boycotted the general elections in 2008 due to some valid reasons top of which was the dictatorial rule of General Musharraf. We started taking part in the elections after Musharraf’s ouster from power,” said Shabbir Ahmad Khan, the provincial secretary general of JI.

[spinsahar]

_________________
سپين سحر