Cancellation of NA seat in Bajaur: politicians, traders to launch agitation against ECP's decision

Leaders of political parties and Trade Union Association of Bajaur Agency on Saturday expressed their anguish over the Election Commission of Pakistan for canceling the newly allocated National Assembly seat for the region and announced to launch a strong agitation against the verdict. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting held here under the auspices of All Bajaur Political Parties Alliance (ABPPA) with the alliance president Abdul Mannan in the chair. Besides, senior leaders of almost all political parties, representatives of local lawmakers and former legislatures including Sahibzada Haroon-ur-Rasheed and Syed Akhoon Zada Chattan also participated in the meeting.
Briefing the participants about the meeting agenda, leaders of ABPPA told that the sole point of the gathering was to adopt a joint and effective strategy to get back the third seat of National Assembly to Bajaur, which has been canceled by ECP on Friday. The participants were informed that the said seat of National Assembly was allocated for Bajaur Agency on March 5 by ECP in the line with the huge population of the region. However, according to the ECP verdict made on Friday, they observed that the seat has been withdraw from the agency and awarded it to Kurram Agency.
After the detail briefing on the issue by ABPPA leaders, the participants expressed their strong condemnation over the abolition of newly allocated seat of National Assembly from the agency. They termed the cancellation of third seat of National Assembly from the agency by the ECP, "totally wrong, unjustified and injustice with the people of the region".
The participants slammed the ECP for its verdict to terminate the newly allocated seat of NA from the agency, adding that the verdict was absolutely against the interest of Bajaur Agency's people. They were of the views that ECP has no right to cancel the third seat of NA from the agency as it had been approved in line with the recent census report of the region.
The participants described that neither the ECP has allocated the third seat of National Assembly for the agency as a gift nor the people of agency have requested for it, adding that the seat was allocated for the agency only due to its huge population. They said that allocation of the new seat of NA for the agency was purely on merit which only aimed to end sense of deprivation of the people of agency as Bajaur was the most populated region in the tribal areas and the previous two seats were absolutely insufficient for it.
After the lengthy discussion, the participants were agreed to use all out efforts and resources to get back the said seat of NA for the agency. It was decided in the meeting that will challenge the verdict in Election Commission of Pakistan, Peshawar High Court, Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court of Pakistan. It was also decided that workers of all political and religious parties and trade union association will launch a joint protest against the ECP's verdict to get back the said seat immediately.
Later, addressing a news conference, senior leaders of various political and religious parties and trade union association's representatives, including All Bajaur Political Parties Alliance president Abdul Mannan, JI leader Sahib Zada Haroon Rasheed, PPP leader Akhoon Zada Chattan, PML-N leader Nizamuddin Khan, ANP president Ataullah Khan, PPP local chapter president Aurangzeb and others slammed the ECP for taking back the third seat of National Assembly from Bajaur Agency.
They said that the third seat was the right of Bajaur Agency as the region was the most papules in the entire tribal areas. They pledged to utilize their energy and ability for the right of agency and will get back the said seat for the agency at all cost. They announced to launch a series of protest demonstrations against the verdict across the agency, saying that first protest will take place in Khar today.
To a question, they said that workers of political and religious parties and trade union association were on same page over the issue, saying that ECP will see that how the people of Agency struggling for their right. They clarified that they did not anger that the seat of NA has been awarded to Kurram agency, but they upset by the double standard of ECP.
An another query, the alliance president said that Bajaur Agency was absolutely meet the criteria of another seat of National Assembly and claimed that thousands of people of agency who had been IDPs in different areas since along have not been enlisted in the recent census.