SWABI: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Awami National Party on Saturday demanded the immediate announcement of the next local body elections in the province.

PML-N divisional senior vice-president Iftikhar Ahmad Khan told a meeting here that the local body polls should be held without delay to give the people an opportunity to elect representatives at the grassroots level to address their problems.

“The councillors can serve the people well as they are familiar with the local issues and problems,” he said.

ANP leader Tamraiz Khan said the recent postponement of the teachers body elections showed that the ruling PTI feared the defeat of its panel and that such results were expected in the local body elections as well.

Say councillors serve people well for being familiar with local issues

Former district nazim Jehanzeb Khan said usually, MNAs and MPAs opposed the local body elections as the councillors threatened their position.

When contacted, PTI district president Anwar Haq Dad said it seemed the local body polls would be delayed as the government was not in a position to hold elections.

Sources in the PTI claimed that local government minister Shahram Khan Tarakai had already informed the party’s activists about election delay fearing defeat due to the current unfavourable economic conditions, especially growing prices and the people’s squeezing purchasing power.

GOVT WARNED: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s leaders on Saturday warned that the party would put up strong resistance if the government tried to withdraw the non-Muslim status of Qadianis in the country.

The warning was issued during separate rallies staged in the district headquarters and Topi tehsil here.

JUI-F tehsil head Maulana Roshanzeb said the party celebrated the Constitutional Amendment passed by parliament on Sept 7, 1974, to declare Qadianis non-Muslim.

Other speakers said preparations for the ‘long march’ on Islamabad against the ‘selected government’ continued and that the march would oust the ruling PTI.

KILLED: A man was killed over a land dispute here in Baja village on Saturday.

Umar Hayat complained to police that Mohammad Khan and Israr Mohammad opened fire on his son, Nawab Shah, critically injuring him. He said his son breathed her last on the way to the district headquarters hospital.

The complainant demanded the immediate arrest of suspected killers.

WARNED: The All Pakistan Clerk Association warned that if the recent orders for the transfer of clerks weren’t withdrawn, its members would go on pen-down strike and would stage protests.

The warning was issued during a meeting chaired by APCA district president Zakirullah Umerkhel.

Mr Zakir complained about the government’s ‘interference’ in the affairs of own departments and transfer of clerks on political basis and demanded the withdrawal of transfer orders.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2019