CHITRAL: A 34-year-old man committed suicide in Garam Chashma area by jumping into a river early on Wednesday. His body was later retrieved.

An official of Lot Koh police station identified the deceased as Isa Mohammad, who was a master degree holder, but was without a job. He said the victim had been mentally retarded for last year.

The police official said an inquiry had been initiated under section 174 of CrPC, while report of the postmortem was also awaited.

This was the second incident during the current month as a student of 6th grade had committed suicide in Pakhturi village of Oveer valley in upper Chitral.

RESIGN: A former and two incumbent office-bearers have quit the All Pakistan Muslim League of former military ruler Gen retired Pervez Musharraf in protest against behaviour of the party’s central president Dr Mohammad Amjad, who iscurrently stationed in Chitral and is contesting elections from NA-1.

Sultan Wazir, the party’s former district president, told this correspondent that he tendered his resignation along with two office-holders, Sultan Mehmood (district general secretary) and tehsil Mastuj president Sultan Nigah as the central president had installed Amir Hasantud Din as district president without consulting him.

He said their resignations had been accepted by the central president.

Mr Wazir said the central president had bypassed the district leadership and made decisions arbitrarily.

FAIR POLLS: District and sessions judge Asad Hameed Khan, who is also the district returning officer for elections, on Tuesday asked the presiding officers that it was their responsibility to ensure that elections were conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.

Addressing the presiding officers after they were administered oath, Mr Khan said all required facilities and services would be made available to them at their polling stations.

The district has one seat each of National Assembly (NA-1) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly (PK-1).

The DRO said impartiality and neutrality of the polling staff were the basic requirements which every government servant must make certain on the polling day.

District election commissioner Inayatur Rahman and returning officer of PK-1, Chitral, Abid Zaman, were also present on the occasion who asked the presiding officers to ensure that they had acquired the mandatory training from the officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2018