MANSEHRA: The Abbottabad circuit bench of the Peshawar High Court on Wednesday unseated Torghar district nazim Noor Mohammad and naib nazim Shamdad Khan, both from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to announce schedule for fresh election for the nazim’s office.

Justice Attique Shah and Justice Syed Arshad Ali dismissed the petition of the district nazim against the Local Government Commission’s decision to validate the voting by the convener against the petitioner during the no confidence motion against him.

Junaid Anwar Khan was the lawyer for Dilroz Khan, a respondent in case, Abdul Latif for petitioner Noor Mohammad and Naeem Anwar for co-petitioner naib district nazim Shamdad Khan.

Asks Election Commission to announce poll schedule

Led by Dilroz Khan, a dissident group of the PTI had filed a no confidence motion against own party’s nazim Noor Mohammad in July last year. The motion had secured 16 votes in the 23-strong council, including that of the convener, who is the naib-nazim.

Mr Noor had moved the Local Government Commission against the convener’s move but the commission declared the entire process in line with the law.

He had challenged the commission’s decision in the Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad circuit bench in January insisting the convener couldn’t cast vote on the no confidence motion against him.

However, the court upheld all previous decrees and ordered the ECP to announce fresh election for the nazim’s office.

Under the Local Government Act 2017, the election for the naib nazim’s office will be held today (Thursday).

Dilroz Khan, who is in the running for the nazim’s office, expressed satisfaction with the court’s verdict saying justice had been done in the case.

He said his party, PTI, would support Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl nominee for the convener’s slot, Obaidullah, in today’s election.

The PTI candidate said as nazim Noor Mohammad had breached the agreement of relinquishing the office after completion of two years of the term, his group tabled a no confidence motion against him with the support of JUI-F councillors.

He said he was optimistic to become the nazim.

Meanwhile, the Al-Khidmat Foundation has announced that it will double the number of orphans being provided education and boarding facilities in Agosh area of Mansehra district.

Currently, around 100 orphans are being given education and boarding facilities in the area.

“A modern facility will soon be put up in Murree, where orphans from across the country will be given education and other amenities,” central general secretary of Al-Khidmat Foundation Dr Mushtaq Mangat told reporters here on Wednesday.

He said the Rs100 million loans were being offered to the deserving people, including women, for establishing small business.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2017