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PTI makes inroads into PML-N stronghold of Hazara

May 13, 2013
ABBOTTABAD: Out of seven national and 20 provincial assembly seats in Hazara division, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has won three NA and six provincial assembly seats, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf got two national and two provincial seats while Jamiat Ulam-e-Islam-Fazl secured one national and two provincial assembly seats.
Interestingly, a few political heavyweights failed to retain the confidence of voters and lost their respective seats. Former chief minister and PML-N candidate from NA-17 Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan faced defeat at the hands of PTI’s Dr Azhar Jadoon on his third consecutive bid to get elected.
Although Sardar Mehtab attained 75,920 votes, his highest ever against 94,360 votes of Dr Azhar Jadoon. The general complaint against Sardar Mehtab was his failure to deliver during his two decades long tenure.
His interaction with the general populace, especially his voters, was another major factor that led to his defeat. Sardar Mehtab has retained his provincial assembly seat PK-45 by getting 28,890 votes against the PTI’s Abdur Rehman Abbasi who got 18,360 votes.
Pir Sabir Shah, another former chief minister, faced disappointment in his native constituency PK-52, Haripur, where Faisal Zaman of the PTI once again managed to defeat the PML-N nominee.
Out of two national and five provincial assembly seats of Abbottabad district, the PML-N managed to win one national and two provincial assembly seats. Murtaza Javed Abbassi defeated former deputy speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob on the PTI ticket and Sardar Haider Zaman, erstwhile leader of Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara, from NA-18.
Similarly, PML-N’s Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan won PK-45 and Aurangzeb Nalotha PK 47 while Inayatullah Khan Jadoon and Barrister Javed Abbassi lost their seats. The PTI secured one national and one provincial assembly seats from Abbottabad, including Dr Azhar Jadoon’s NA-17 and Sardar Mohammad Idrees’s PK-48.
Two Provincial Assembly constituencies, PK-44

and PK-46, went to independent candidates, former MPAs Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and Qalandar Lodhi, respectively. It is predicated that they will join the party forming the next provincial government in the province. Ironically, the Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara could not attract the voters and failed to make its mark as it could not win seats.
This year, the turnout remained 56 percent, which is higher than that observed in the previous elections of 2008 and 2002. Minor scuffles at a few polling stations in Birot, Bakot and Namal were reported, while there was a firing at Havellian where two rival groups in NA-18 alleged bogus voting.
As many as 217 polling stations had been declared sensitive and 120 high sensitive in Abbottabad district, out of the total 596 stations.
Scenario in Haripur district witnessed a few interesting scene on one national and four provincial assembly seats. According to unofficial results, former federal minister Omar Ayub Khan, who recently rejoined the PML-N, failed to secure NA-19 seat from Raja Aamir Zaman of the PTI.
Raja Aamir Zaman, who remained district nazim of Haripur, is the younger son of former chief minister Raja Sikandar Zaman. The four provincial seats went to two PTI, one to PML-N and one to independent.
Yousaf Ayub Khan of the PTI managed to defeat former provincial minister Qazi Asad of the PML-N with a close margin on PK-50 while Faisal Zaman of the PTI defeated former chief minister Pir Sabir Shah in PK-52.
The PML (N)’s sole provincial seat of PK-49 was won by Raja Faisal Zaman, brother of PTI MNA-elect Raja Aamir Zaman. Interestingly, Gohar Nawaz, an independent candidate from PK-51, defeated PML-N candidate Haji Sadiq by getting over 50,000 votes. Manshera district, which has two national and five provincial seats, was mostly dominated by the PML-N by winning both national and three provincial seats. Sardar Mohammad Yousaf won by a landslide margin against Azam Khan Swati of the PTI from NA-20 while Mohamamd Safdar, son-in-law of Mian Nawaz Sharif, got the other National Assembly seat NA-21 by a low margin.
Azam Swati and his brother Laiq Mohammad contesting from different NA seats lost the elections. The PML-N secured three provincial assembly seats: Mian Ziaur Rehman won PK-54, Saleh Mohammad PK-55 and Wajiuzzaman PK-56.
The PK-53 seat went to Sardar Zahoor, an independent candidate. The Qaumi Watan Party’s Abrar Hussain won PK-57 seat by defeating former provincial minister Habibur Rehman Tanoli. The PK-58 seat was won by Zareen Gul of the JUI-Fazl (JUI-F). Both the national and provincial seats from Battagram were won by the JUI-F, ie Qari Yusaf won NA-22 and Shah Hussain secured PK-60.