MANSEHRA: MPA of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sardar Zahoor has alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s provincial government has adopted a discriminatory attitude towards the lawmakers of his party and withheld their development funds and thus, hampering work on projects in their respective constituencies.

“The government has sanctioned Rs450 million for the reconstruction of the Balakot Tehsil Headquarters Hospital but could release just Rs30 million denying healthcare to the residents of the entire tehsil,” Mr Zahoor told reporters here on Thursday.

The MPA regretted that the Balakot hospital was destroyed in the 2005 earthquake but it hadn’t been reconstructed yet as the government withheld funds.

PML-N lawmaker alleges his party’s uplift funds withheld

He said he would take up the matter in the next session of the assembly.

LARGE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES: The delimitation of constituencies in Oghi tehsil has paved the way for a large number of people contesting the next elections in PK-33, including three sons of former lawmakers.

Of the two national and five provincial assembly constituencies in the district, the PK-33 is the only provincial assembly constituency, where 12 people have so far announced they would contest the upcoming general elections.

The analysts say a dozen more people would contest elections in the constituency.

MPA Wajiuzzaman Khan, who recently joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, who was elected on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ticket in the 2013 general elections, will face 11 candidates, including Nawabzada Fareed the son of former MNA, Safeer Tanoli the son of MPA Ibrar Tanoli and Sheryar Khan Swati the son of former MNA Laiq Mohammad Khan and nephew of PTI Senator Azam Khan Swati.

Among other candidates are district council member Abdul Zaman Tanoli, naib nazim of Oghi tehsil Qazi Zahidullah, president of Oghi Traders Association Sarblund Khan, president of the Darband Traders Association Haji Fareed, tehsil council member from Shungli Munir Tanoli, Mufti Nasar Mehmood, Ziaullah Khan of Battle, and Oghi tehsil council member Jamal Alvi.

NAWAZ DUE ON 15TH: Ousted prime minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, will address a public meeting at the Pano Road cattle market in Mansehra on April 15.

This was announced during a meeting attended by district nazim Sardar Said Ghulam, PML-N district president Zafar Mehmood and others.

MORE TO JOIN PML-Q: More likeminded MPAs will join the PML-Q in near future, claims MPA Wajiuzzaman Khan Swati, who joined the Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain-led party on Thursday.

Mr Swati told reporters in Oghi on Friday that he would continue working for the unification of all factions of the Pakistan Muslim League.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2018