The top leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are contesting the election from Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Central PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif is the candidate for the National Assembly constituency NA-3 Swat while the party’s provincial president Amir Muqam is in the running for NA-2 Swat.
PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is contesting the polls from NA-8 Malakand and provincial president Humayun Khan from PK-18.
Although Sharif and Bhutto have also filed nomination papers from their native constituencies in Lahore and Larkana, respectively, they are flexing muscles from KP as well to show that their respective parties are equally popular in other provinces.
Sharif is facing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) nominee and former member of the National Assembly (MNA) Salimur Rehman.
Jehanzeb Khan of the Awami National Party (ANP), the Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal (MMA), and the PPP also have vote-banks in the constituency.
The constituency mainly consists of urban areas of the district, like Mingora city and the surrounding areas, where the PML-N has a solid vote-bank.
However, in the 2013 general election, the PTI’s Salimur Rahman, who had switched over from PPP, won the seat.
Bhutto’s decision to contest from Malakand is based on the past record.
Malakand was once a PPP stronghold and known as mini-Larkana.
The party still has a strong base as one of the two former members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from the district, Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha, was from the PPP.
The Jamaat Islami (JI)’s Bakhtiar Maani and Shahraz Khan were elected MNA and MPA, respectively, from Malakand in the past.
The PTI had won the National Assembly seat from Malakand district in 2013 through Junaid Akbar, and one provincial assembly seat when Shakil Khan defeated the PPP’s former minister Humayun Khan, who is now the party’s provincial president.
This time Bhutto will face the main contender, Junaid Akbar of the PTI besides the candidates from the ANP, the MMA and the PML-N.
The PML-N’s Amir Muqam is in the field from NA-2 Swat, although he is also contesting from two other National Assembly and two Provincial Assembly constituencies.
In his native NA-10 Shangla constituency, he is facing the ANP’s Sadeedur Rehman, the PPP’s Dr Afsarul Mulk and the PTI’s Nawaz Mehmood or Waqar Ahmad Khan as PTI has not yet decided its candidate.
Muqam is also contesting from PK-2 and PK-4 in Swat.
In PK-2, his main electoral rivals are former MPA Syed Jafar Shah of the ANP, and Sharafat Ali of the PTI.
He will also face the candidates of these parties on PK-4.
In NA-29 Peshawar, Muqam will face the PTI’s Shah Farman and the ANP’s Arbab Kamal, besides the nominee of MMA.
Although the PML-N, especially Muqam, has good support in the NA-29 Peshawar constituency because of the development work that he did – like the provision of electricity and gas to the population – the PTI and the ANP have strong vote-banks.
PTI nominee Gulzar Khan had won the seat in the 2013 general election and after his death, the PTI secured the seat in the by-election as its candidate Arbab Aamir emerged victorious against the ANP’s Khushdil Khan and Nasir Musazai of PML-N, who later joined the PTI.
It won’t be easy for Muqam to dislodge the PTI’s candidate in this constituency.
PPP provincial president Humayun Khan, who was the former minister in the ANP-PPP coalition government led by Amir Haider Hoti, is also contesting polls from his native Malakand district.
He had won this seat in the 2008 general elections but lost to Shakil Ahmad of the PTI in the 2013 elections.
He is again facing Shakil Ahmad along with candidates of the MMA, the ANP and the PML-N.

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