January 15, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 14, 1426

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TIMERGARA, Jan 14: An electoral alliance backed by ANP, PPP, PML-Q and JUI-F on Saturday rejected a notification issued by the NWFP secretary of local government on Friday, declaring Sultanul Mulk as the officiating district nazim of Lower Dir. The protesters, who comprised workers of the four parties, blocked the Samarbagh Road in front of the DCO office and rejected the notification, saying that Mr Mulk was not backed by a majority of the district council.

Heavy contingents of police and militia were deployed around the district council building to avert any untoward incident.

The protesters were addressed by PPP’s Ahmad Hassan Khan, Tehsil Nazim Samarbagh Haji Bahadur Khan, JUI-F’s Qazi Fazlullah, PML-Q’s Sardar Abdul Hakim, ANP’s Hussain Shah Yousafzai and others.

The speakers said that they would organize an armed demonstration on Monday if the secretary local government failed to withdraw the notification and the responsibility of any ugly incident would rest with the provincial government and the district administration.

They also criticized the chief minister and senior provincial minister and alleged that the big bosses were bent upon disturbing the peace in the district.

The demonstrators warned that they would surround all the police stations in Lower Dir if cases registered against the leaders of the four-party alliance were not withdrawn.

Sultanul Mulk, meanwhile, assumed the office of the district nazim.

Talking to journalists in the office, he said his rival Inayatullah had given an application to the local government department that he should be declared the officiating district nazim.

“We had also submitted an application to the local government department and on Jan 13 we showed to the secretary 18 male and nine female members and I was declared the caretaker nazim,” he said.

He also distributed copies of the notification among journalists.

The notification stated that according to a report filed by a verification committee on Friday, Sultanul Mulk apparently had a clear majority in the council, and “hence he is allowed to act as officiating Zila Nazim with immediate effect”.