MANSEHRA: The Jamaat-i-Islami has secured majority in Oghi tehsil council to form the next government in the tehsil.

The development came as an independent councilor-elect, who was allegedly confined by a local leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, appeared before the district retuning officer on Thursday and apprised him of joining JI.

“I joined JI on June 3 but PTI’s Nawabzada Salahuddin Saeed, who had been striving to form the party’s government in Oghi tehsil, confined me illegally for many days and made me sign the PTI joining papers at gunpoint. But on my release, I appeared before DRO and announced support for Jamaat-i-Islami,” councilor-elect Shaukat Awan told reporters here on Thursday.

JI district chief Dr Tariq Sherazi also spoke on the occasion. Shaukat Awan said two other tehsil councilors-elect Mohammad Bashir and Munir Tanoli also informed the Oghi assistant commissioner about the joining of JI.

Sherazi, who was also in attendance, said JI had got majority in the 18-member Oghi tehsil council and would install its government in tehsil.

He said the party would name the candidate for the tehsil chairman’s office in a Shura meeting. On the occasion, councilor-elect Mohammad Bashir said majority of political parties had forgotten their ideology and had been working to get power.

He said he joined JI as it had been strictly following its ideology since its establishment. “We want to serve the people and that is why we’ve joined Jamaat,” he said. PML-N Oghi general secretary Rafiq Swati was also present in the news conference.

PROTEST: The secretaries of 59 union councils of Mansehra district on Thursday took to the streets to demand up-gradation of their basic pay scale 6 to 12. They also kept their offices closed for the entire day.

During a demonstration outside the district council hall, the secretaries announced they won’t issue birth and death certificates until their demands were met.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play