MANSEHRA: The Tehreek-i-Sooba Hazara has announced that it will shut Hazara division after Eidul Fitr to lodge a protest against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for not fulfilling its election promise of creating new provinces in the country, including Hazara division.

TSH convener Mushtaq Khan told reporters here on Monday that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had announced in the 2013 election campaign that if the people voted him to power, he would ensure Hazara get the province’s status, but he didn’t keep his promise to the anger of the local residents.

Accompanied by other office-bearers of the association, he said the TSH would shut the entire Hazara division by blocking roads, closing shops and staging rallies against the PML-N.

Mr Mushtaq said the Hazara province campaign was supported by all political groups, which recently put up a good show in the press club to give out a strong message of annoyance to the PML-N. He wondered why the PML-N backed off from its commitment to creating news provinces, including Hazara’s.

“The people want the creation of more federating units in the country along administrative lines but ironically, the PML-N government in the centre is creating hurdles to it,” he said.

The TSH convener said the people would punish the political parties opposed to the creation of more provinces by voting against them in the coming elections. He said the Tehreek’s committees had been reactivated from Kohistan to Haripur for the planned agitation.

MMA OFFICE-BEARERS ELECTED: The district office-bearers of the recently-revived Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal were elected here on Monday.

Five members of the executive bodies of each MMA member party took part in the elections through secret ballots.

Hidayatullah Shah of the JUI-F was elected the MMA district president, Sajjad Shah of the Jamaat-i-Islami district general secretary, Dr Tariq Sherazi, Syed Abid Shah and Maulana Nasir Mehmood vice-presidents, and Maulana Saeed Abdullah information secretary.

Mr Hidayatullah told reporters that the parties, which had secured the highest number of votes in the 2013 elections, would get the MMA tickets in the respective national and provincial assembly constituencies for the next polls.

He said the alliance would sweep the next elections to form the next government in the province.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2018