MANSEHRA: A man was burnt to death and four shops and a hotel were gutted after fire erupted at a market in Mahanadi area of Kaghan valley on Sunday.

The fire, which apparently broke out from a firewood oven that was lighted to heat up the hotel room, engulfed the entire market. Mohammad Miskeen, stated to be a postman living in the hotel, received critical burns wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

The locals rushed to scene and extinguished the fire after hectic efforts of many hours. “Tehsil government of Balakot failed to serve the people as the fire broke out at about 6am but fire tender couldn’t reach here even after local people put it out completely,” said Haji Walliur Rehman, an affected shopkeeper.

The mosque neighbouring the gutted shops on Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road was also partially damaged in the fire.

According to Kaghan police, the gutted general stores and hotel were owned by Haji Walliur Rehman, Ashraf Khan and Abdul Wakil. They suffered about Rs2 million losses.

In another incident in Lassan Nawab area of the district, a poultry farm was gutted and over 5,000 chicken perished.

The poultry farm suffered a loss of Rs1 million, however, the workers present inside the farm were rescued by local people.

TRADERS: A tough competition is expected between Tahafuzz-i-Haqooq Tajran and Tajir Ittehad in the elections of traders to be held on Monday (today).

The elections of Anjuman-i-Tajran in Mansehra gained attention of people when two groups of traders in the city and its suburbs, Tahafuzz-i-Haqooq Tajran and Tajir Ittehad, bypassing business community selected office-bears of their choice at the centre.

They declared it a reconciliation process but traders rejected their notion and demanded elections in accordance with the already announced schedule for traders’ body, elected for two years term.

The members of both the groups Tahafuzz-i-Haqooq Tajran, led by Mohammad Shohaib, and Tajir Ittehad, led by Mohammad Hanif, addressed corner meetings of traders at various places on Sunday.

Both the groups claimed to change the fate of traders if they were elected. The election commissioner, Advocate Tanveer Ahmad Deen, told journalists that electoral process would be completed with impartiality and in tight security.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2017