With only six days left in general election 2024, electioneering reached to its peak in all seven merged tribal districts (erstwhile Fata) where candidates started approaching large tribes seeking their support besides busy in election rallies and door to door meetings to attract voters.
From South Waziristan to Bajaur and Khyber to North Waziristan tribal districts, the candidates of different political parties and their supporters were gearing up to elect their representatives for national and KP assemblies for next five years on February 8, 2024.
Tribal people started gearing up for another historic moment to poll their votes for the first time in their history for both National Assembly and KP legislature seats taking place simultaneously at South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram, Khyber, Orakzai, Mohmand and Bajaur tribal districts on February 8, 2024.
“I am eagerly awaiting for the February 8 election to cast my first vote,”said Asghar Afridi, a voter of tehsil Bara Khyber tribal district.
Besides his area’s people, he said they would go in groups to polling stations along with families and friends to fulfil the national obligations. Like Asghar, great enthusiasm is being witnessed among voters in these tribal districts.
The earlier election milestone had been achieved in 2019, when 16 seats of the tribal districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly were contested for the first time following their merger with the province.
The inaugural elections for the provincial assembly seats from the merged districts took place on July 18, 2019- a year after the general polls of July 25, 2018. Bajaur had two NA seats in the 2018 general elections that had now been reduced to one following the delimitation of constituencies last year.
Independent candidates dominated the provincial polls by securing six seats, followed by the PTI with five in 2019 elections. The candidates of the JUI-F bagged three seats while the ANP and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) both won one each respectively.
Three independent candidates joined the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and formed a new parliamentary party in the province. Of the four reserved seats for women from the merged districts, the PTI secured two while the JUI-F and BAP both acquired one each while the lone reserved seat for minorities was also bagged by the PTI.
Dr. A.H.Hilali, ex-chairman political science department, university of Peshawar said that February 8, 2024 would be historic movement for tribal people of merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa would exercise their right of franchise for the second time to elect their representatives for next five years.
He said merged tribal districts have a different political culture than settled districts where large tribes play a key role in deciding the fate of candidates.
Dr Hilali said that literacy rate in merged tribal districts were significantly improved and expected high turnout in this election compared to last election.
In the 2019 polls, Anwar Zeb Khan of PTI had won PK-100 Bajaur-I and Ajmal Khan of the same party was elected from PK-101 Bajaur-II. Similarly, JI’s Sirajuddin Khan from PK-102 Bajaur-III, ANP’s Nisar Ahmed from PK-103 Mohmand-I, independent candidate Abbas Rehman from PK-104 Mohmand-II, and independent candidate Shafiq Afridi from PK-105 Khyber-I were also elected.
Others who emerged victorious included independent candidate Bilawal Afridi from PK-106 Khyber-II, independent candidate Mohammad Shafiq from PK-107 Khyber-III, JUI-F’s Muhammad Riaz from PK-108 Kurram-I, and PTI’s Syed Iqbal Mian from PK-109 Kurram-I.
Independent candidate Syed Ghazi Ghazan Jamal secured a win from PK-110 Orakzai, PTI’s Muhammad Iqbal Khan from PK-111 North Waziristan-I, independent candidate Mir Kalam Wazir from PK-112 North Waziristan-II, JUI-F’s Hafiz Isamuddin from PK-113 South Waziristan-I, PTI’s Naseerullah Khan from PK-114 South Waziristan-II, and JUI-F’s Muhammad Shoaib from PK-115 Ex-Frontier Regions.
The door to door campaign was underway in all tehsils and towns besides villages of these tribal districts where candidates were making last efforts to attract voters.
Dr Hilali urged people of all walks of life to unite for the general election and elect competent representatives with a will to address their problems and put the country on the path of democracy.
