TIMERGARA: The local chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has announced to field a strong candidate against Sirajul Haq, the chief of its coalition partner Jamaat-i-Islami in the provincial government, in NA-34 constitunecy during the next general elections.

PTI regional secretary information Farhad Ali Khan, former district joint secretary Syed Alam Shah, Mian Gul Zahoor and Nasim Khan told a press conference here on Thursday that JI under a conspiracy was spreading rumours that PTI chief Imran Khan didn’t want to field candidate against Sirajul Haq in the polls.

They said that PTI workers would never vote for JI candidate.

They said that JI local government representatives in Lower and Upper Dir were joining PTI so it wanted to block their entry through rumours and propaganda.

They said that PTI had formed alliance with JI in by-election on PK-93 but its workers voted for the PPP candidate.

Farhad said that 95 per cent of the overseas Pakistanis were supporting PTI in Lower and Upper Dir and they did not want alliance with JI.

“We cannot ask our workers to vote for JI candidate and even party chief Imran Khan will not do so,” he said.

He said that JI disappointed the PTI workers during the last four years. He said that PTI had so far not awarded tickets to its candidates for the 2018 elections.

He said that tickets would be allotted on merit.

WOMEN VOTERS: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday announced to launch a special drive to register women voters and ensure their participation in the next general elections.

Sources said that less than 40 per cent women were registered as voters in 601 blocks in Lower Dir. Although more than 80 per cent of the women in the district got Computerised National Identity Cards, yet they were not registered as voters, they added.

Women in the past were barred of taking part in electoral process due to local norms and traditions and almost all the political parties were agreed to stop women from casting their vote.

Noor Said Khan Khattak, the district election commissioner, said that ECP would distribute registration forms among families with the directives to ensure women registration.

SEALED: The administration on Thursday sealed several medical stores and a private pharmacy in Chakdara during raids.

Assistant Commissioner Shah Jamil Khan along with Tehsildar Fazal Karim and Levies officials raided different markets in Chakdara and sealed several medical stores for selling substandard and expired medicines.

The administration also sealed a private pharmacy for selling contrabands in the garb of medicines.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2017