TIMERGARA: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Tuesday said the time had come to end dictatorship in political parties.

Addressing party meetings in local villages, the JI chief said he was hopeful that the people of NA-246 Karachi constituency would reject the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s tyrannical policies and vote for JI due to adherence to democratic principles in the April 23 by-election.

He said his party wanted to turn Pakistan into an independent welfare state, where the poor people had easy access to all basic facilities. “We want to empower the poor people in the country so that they could decide about own fate,” he said.

Siraj said the ruling coalition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would jointly contest the upcoming local body elections in all districts of the province. He said three ruling parties had formed a joint committee to resolve differences over the fielding of election candidates in the province.

Hopes NA-246 Karachi people will reject MQM tyrannical policies in by-election

The JI chief said the local body elections would ensure the devolution of powers to grassroots level and therefore, the people should elect honest, sincere and devoted representatives.

He later inaugurated a suspension bridge in Arif Kalay.

JI Lower Dir chief and candidate for PK-95 by-election Izazul Mulk Afkari also spoke on the occasion.

ROAD ACCIDENT: A man was killed and his friend suffered injuries when their motorcycle collided with a speeding van in Gosum Dag area in Timergara on Tuesday.

The police said the van was on the way to Bajaur Agency from Timergara when it collided head-on with a motorcycle coming from the opposite side at a sharp turn. They said the accident left motorcyclist Sherzada Khan dead and his friend, Ibrarul Haq, injured. The police said they took van driver Hussain Khan into custody and began investigation.

Also in the day, Lower Dir deputy commissioner Sohail Khan directed all nongovernmental organisations working in the district to take local residents and their representatives into confidence before initiating any development activity.

The directions were issued during a meeting here at the deputy commissioner’s office, where district heads of NGOs, DDAC Lower Dir chairman Saeed Gul and representatives of local MPAs, MNAs and Senators were in attendance.

CLASS-IV EMPLOYEES: The All Class-IV Employees Association Lower Dir on Tuesday staged a rally in front of the deputy commissioner’s office to demand post up-gradation and promotion.

The rally was addressed by association president Dost Mohammad, APCA president Mohammad Shair and others.

The speakers said the provincial government upgraded the posts of all departments one year ago but had been delaying up-gradation of their posts. They warned Class-IV employees would stage a sit-in outside Imran Khan’s house in Islamabad if their demand was not met.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2015

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