TIMERGARA: Serious rifts have emerged among the local leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami after the nomination of the party’s candidates for two national and five provincial assembly seats in the Lower Dir district.

A strong group comprising members of the JI district executive council and having support of thousands of workers publicly announced the formation of ‘Jamaat Islami Bachao Tehreek’ (save the JI movement). The group also announced to field its own candidates on all the constituencies in the district.

Speaking at a news conference, Haji Dawood Syed, a member of the JI district shura and councillor, former JI district deputy secretary general Shafiullah Khan and others admitted that the provincial and central leaderships had destroyed the very foundations of JI. They said the party had announced majority of its poll candidates under pressure from certain quarters.

The group announced that Shafiullah would contest election from NA-7 against the JI chief Sirajul Haq, Haji Dawood from PK-13 against the JI candidate Shad Nawaz Khan.

The JI activists said they were not quitting the party but would fight for reforming it. They alleged that Dr Zakirullah Khan was awarded party ticket through a bargain under which he had joined the party a few months ago. They said former finance minister Muzafar Syed was involved in corruption and nepotism.

NOMINATION PAPERS: The JI chief Sirajul Haq submitted his nomination papers for NA-7, Dir II, to the election commission office on Friday accompanied by large number of workers.

Awami National Party central secretary information Zahid Khan, Pakistan Peoples Party central leader Ahmad Hassan Khan and JI district emir Maulana Asadullah also submitted their nomination papers for NA-6, Dir-I.

Former provincial minister Muzafar Syed of JI and former provincial minister Mehmood Zeb Khan of PPP would lock horns on PK-15.

PPP nominee Bakht Baidar Khan, JI’s Dr Zakirullah Khan and ANP’s Hussain Shah Yousafzai submitted their nomination papers for PK-14.

MAN KILLED: A man reportedly shot dead his father on Friday, residents and police said.

Police identified the accused as Umar Gul of Naqai Jabaro, Maidan, and the victim, Khaista Gul. They said relations between the father and his son were not smooth for quite some time and they often quarreled with each other.

The police registered a case and started further investigations.

DIARRHOEA OUTBREAK:The Lower Dir health department on Friday dispatched teams of doctors to Dabeera Rabat, a remote village in Balambat tehsil, after getting information about the outbreak of diarrhoea there.

According to reports, diarrhoea had broken out in the village due to which a minor, Imama Bibi, had died the other day, while dozens had been hospitalised.

DHO Dr Shaukat told this reporter on contact that three teams had been sent to the area after getting the information about the diarrhoea outbreak.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2018