Frequent acts of violence, especially deadly attacks against its leaders and candidates in various parts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, is taking a serious toll on Awami National Party’s (ANP) election campaign. To the extent, now some of its diehard stalwarts have been so overwhelmed by threats that they are returning party tickets.
Out of 13 acts of violence in different parts of KP and FATA targeting the ANP leaders and candidates, one ANP worker from Swat was killed while several others including two aspirants on provincial assembly seats have been injured.
A victim for over four years, the ANP supremo Asfandyar Wali Khan has now been compelled to send a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to fulfill its responsibilities regarding safety and protection of candidates which is essential for ensuring fairness and transparency of forthcoming general elections.
Former ANP-affiliated MPA, Adnan Wazir, who is again running for the Bannu seat, considered JUI-F stronghold, was the first target of assailants on March 31. He was severely injured while two of his aides were killed. Later at Peshawar, aged politician Arbab Ayub Jan, contesting for an NA seat, was attacked but he along with workers escaped injury. At Swabi, the ANP nominee for an NA seat, Haji Rahman Ullah Khan’s election rally was targeted with a bomb; one activist sustained injuries and his car was damaged. The fourth act of violence occurred at Swat on April 14 where the ANP activist Mukaram Shah was killed while on the same day former advisor to ex-Chief minister Syed Masoom Shah along with three others injured in Charsada.
As the Taliban militants threaten and target the secular parties, the JUI-F and JI have remained mum on the issue.
Meanwhile, the ANP suffers big time: considering discretion to be better part of valour, around one dozen of its own and allied ex-MPs have either defected to other political entities or are hiding behind the independent tag. A case in point, two FATA diehards who returned the party ticket with a thank you note and take to electioneering in personal capacity. Yet another former MP has cited ‘directives’ from certain Taliban militants as his motivation to join the JUI-F. In various parts of KP and FATA, there are reports that the Taliban militants were openly extending support to candidates from religious parties, the beneficiaries being the two JUIs, ‘F’ and ‘S’ and the JI..
Beside the rank, the ANP file too is feeling the heat and is reluctant to display or hoist the party flags, and has mostly shied away from election rallies and corner meetings. This has considerably impacted ANP’s electioneering, handing the edge to its rival candidates. Some ANP leaders have termed such threats as pre-poll rigging by Taliban, which is meant to stealing the election from them.
The ANP information secretary Senator Haji Adeel has said, “it is hard for the party to run election campaign.” Another senator, Zahid Khan is not only disappointed from the government and security forces but also by leaders of other political entities. “Not a single party has condemned attacks on the ANP leaders, candidates and workers,” said Zahid Khan. Mian Iftikhar Hussain is also surprised by this deafening silence from the government, security forces, judiciary and the ECP.