The losers
Voters handed Islamist parties a massive defeat Monday, virtually eliminating them from regional parliaments. The result likely will be efforts to rein in growing Taliban and Al-Qaida influence in the North West Frontier province.
Unofficial results of the vote indicate that religious parties won only five seats in the national parliament. In North West Frontier, where the Islamic insurgency is strongest, religious parties won just nine seats in the 96-seat provincial assembly. In 2002, they won 67.
In the Punjabi city of Jhang in Pakistan's heartland, a cleric who's accused of heading a banned violent Islamic group also lost.
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about the writer
In interviews with the Star Tribune, Ryan described life before and after the Russian invasion in the country, where she’s worked to secure the border and help refugees flee war-torn areas.
