Race for PTI KP seats to intensify after SWA march

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The ongoing race amongst aspirants for top slots and offices in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) is likely to face further crisis and complications in the wake of Imran Khan’s recent peace journey to South Waziristan.
Contrary to claims and justification on part of Imran Khan and his associates, almost all analysts and political observers have termed the move “unsuccessful”, which would definitely affect the PTI image and its planning regarding upcoming elections.
A number of political forces and politicians have been showing interests in the affairs of Federally Administrative Tribal areas (FATA).
From Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, almost all PPP leaders and stalwarts were not only interested in early and maximum reforms and development of FATA at par with the rest of the country, they accredited themselves with giving right of adult franchise and extension of Political Parties Act amidst serious resistance on the part of civil and military bureaucracy.
Leaders of the Awami National Party and Jamaat-e-Islami also advocate awarding political, legal and constitutional rights to tribesmen like people in other parts of the country.
Recently, the ruling PPP-led allies made a major achievement by announcing the extension of Political Parties Act to FATA. As a result, none other than religious parties like JI and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl directly landed in different parts of FATA, while the ANP, PML-N and PPP leaders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also made attempts to mobilise workers and like minded tribesmen. A similar attempt was made by PTI chief Imran Khan through his march on South Waziristan for what he called “reconciliation and return of peace”.
Like of other politicians and parties, Khan and his PTI also oppose drone attacks and war on terror and even declares the war on terror contrary to the interests of Pakistan, claiming that the US landing in Afghanistan led to existing trends of militancy, violence and terrorism. But the militant groups have in fact been operating on existing pattern ever since the US left the region after the Soviet pullout. And all these militant groups involved directly or indirectly in militancy and terrorism originated from the ranks of former Afghan jihadi groups that were supported by Pakistani religious parties like the JI, JUI-F, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith and others.
After making such announcement, Khan has constituted teams for making arrangements and almost all PTI workers, stalwarts and office bearers have kept themselves engaged in mobilisation of people and success of peace march.
Beside making a trip to Tank, former KP chief secretary Rustam Shah Mohmand engaged in meetings and contacts with civil, police and military officers in this respect. Mohmand, who is now critical of the war on terror, was the person who represented Pakistan in framing its (war on terror) strategies as Pakistan’s first ever ambassador to Afghanistan after the collapse of Taliban regime. Mohmand has to his credit serving as ambassador to Afghanistan without serving in foreign services. In connection with peace march, Khan left Islamabad on the morning of October 6 with thousands of his party colleagues and workers. The rally reached Dera Ismail Khan late on Saturday from where it resumed the journey next morning.
But Khan announced the “conclusion of march” even before entering the frontier region bridging Tank with South Waziristan.
Khan returned to Tank from Koor, the last police station of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while some of his party workers got up to Manzai Fort in FR and very close to South Waziristan. Before Khan’s arrival to Tank, certain officers had predicted the termination of the rally there, more than 24 hours earlier.
Despite the fact that some high-profile PTI leaders and stalwarts term the march a success, a large number of workers seem disheartened. Some even had reservations over Khan’s decision of calling off the march without entering FATA. For the last several months, the PTI has been facing crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the ongoing debate over Khan’s SWA march could further stimulate such rifts and divisions amongst the party ranks. At least four groups are so far visible in the race for getting the provincial president’s seat of PTI and the race amongst between four influential leaders could usher the party towards an irreversible crisis.