TIMERGARA: The political parties and their voters in Lower Dir are losing confidence in the local government system owing to its powerlessness, lack of funds and no role in decision making.

The political activists affiliated with different parties told Dawn that people had attached great expectations with the local government system and participated wholeheartedly in the polls in 2015 but gradually they lost confidence in the system.

The said that majority of the voters in the district boycotted the Tuesday’s re-polling on local government seats in different areas as their representatives had no funds and no role in decision making.

Political activists say people losing confidence in system

The Election Commission of Pakistan held by-election of local government for third time on 16 vacant seats including two tehsil council wards, eight general councillors, four youth councillors and one each women and peasant worker seats in Lower Dir on April 17.

The voters, both men and women, showed up in large number in Talash where re-polling was held at three polling stations for Shahikhel tehsil council ward. PPP candidate Manzoor Ahmad retained his seat and defeated JI’s Gul Hakim Khan by 58 votes.

In Samar Bagh, the voters boycotted the re-polling on one tehsil councillor seat, two general councillors and one youth seats. Only 147 voters cast votes at 14 polling stations in Samar Bagh and Munda tehsils.

JI candidate Azizur Rehman got 81 votes, PTI’s Sarbiland Khan bagged 49 votes and the ANP candidate got only 17 votes for tehsil council ward. The participation of 147 voters out of 17,321 speaks volumes about the interest of people in the re-polling.

In December 2017 by-election on this seat, the JI candidate had bagged 2,101 votes, PTI’s Sarbiland Khan got 1,534 votes and ANP’s Aqeel Mohammad grabbed 1,040 votes. The ECP had declared the results null and void due to zero per cent of participation of women voters in the process.

In Adenzai too, voters boycotted the Tuesday’s re-polling on two youth and one general councillor seats. The voters in Maidan also did not take part in the election for one youth, one general and one woman councillor seats.

RALLY: The Pakistan Zindabad Movement (PZM) held a rally at Timergara rest house ground in support of army the other day.

PZM district president Sheikh Amjad Ali, retired Brigadier Saeedullah, JI activist Maulana Azizul Haq, Pakistan Rah-i-Haq Party leader Maulana Ziaul Haq Haideri and PTI woman leader Naeema Naz spoke on the occasion.

They said that their elders rendered sacrifices for the sake of the country. They alleged that some elements wanted to create unrest in the region and defame army. They said that they would fully support army to defend the country.

The participants of the rally also chanted slogans of “Pakistan Zindabad” and “Pak Army Zindabad”.

The speakers also criticised Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement leader Manzoor Pashteen and alleged that he was playing in the hands of foreign powers. They asked the participants of the rally to discourage PTM.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2018