MINGORA: The residents of Baligram area in Saidu Sharif staged a protest rally on Tuesday against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf woman lawmaker, Mussarat Ahmadzeb, for what they called forcing them to vacate their houses by using the local administration and police.

The protesters demanded of PTI chairman Imran Khan to take notice of the issue and suspend the MNA immediately. They threatened to go on strike against the government if their demand was not met within 30 days.

The protesters, led by former nazim of Saidu Sharif Dr Khalid Mehmood and Fazl Mabood, marched from Saidu Sharif and after covering a two-kilometre distance they reached Swat Press Club where they staged a protest demonstration against MAN Mussarat Ahmadzeb.

Carrying banners and placards, the protesters chanted slogans against the MNA and local administration.

Accuse the MNA of using police to evict them from their houses

Later, the leaders of the protesters and elders of the area addressed a press conference and asked PTI leadership to resolve the issue.

They said that PTI came into power with the slogan of change and provision of justice to people. They said that the MNA was violating the manifesto of the party. “It is necessary for the PTI leadership to take action against Mussarat Ahmadzeb as she has violated the party’s manifesto,” they added.

They said that more than 30,000 people of Baligram would be deprived of shelter if government did not take action in that regard. “We will go on strike if the PTI leadership and provincial government fail to resolve the issue within 30 days,” they threatened.

ARRESTED: Police impounded 11 trucks loaded with smuggled spare parts of vehicles and arrested 11 persons here on Tuesday.

Banr police station SHO Mohammad Anwar said that they had received information about smuggling of auto spare parts. He said that local administration had banned transportation of vehicle parts to Swat district under Section 144.

The SHO said that police impounded 11 trucks loaded with smuggled auto spare parts. He said that 60 vehicles could be assembled form the seized spare parts. “We arrested 11 persons and charged them under Section 144,” he added.

Meanwhile, police on Tuesday registered a case against a tutor for attempting to assault his minor girl student in Shahdara, Mingora.

Police claimed that the tutor attempted to assault his seven-year-old girl student during tuition. The girl informed her parents about the incident and they rushed to the spot where the suspect was running a tuition centre. However, he managed to escape, before the arrival of the girl’s parents, they added. “An FIR was registered against the tutor under Sections 377 and 511 of PPC in Mingora police station,” police said.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2014