MANSEHRA: The Awami National Party has announced that it will move the Supreme Court over the delayed local body elections in the province.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government is avoiding to hold local body polls due to wrong policies and high inflation. If elections are delayed any further, we will move the Supreme Court against it,” member of the ANP provincial working committee Shahzad Shah told reporters in Oghi area on Saturday. Mr Shah said the PTI government had denied basic facilities to residents of village and towns by curtailing development budget.

“The 1973 Constitution binds the government to hold fresh elections within 120 days of the completion of local bodies but the ruling PTI has failed to do so,” he said. The ANP leader said his party would sweep the local body elections.

BODY FOUND: A young man was found dead in a forest of Oghi tehsil on Saturday.

Waqas Shah, who had gone missing in Khari village two days ago, was strangled. His body was found in a forest of Dhaka Rukah area. Named in a murder case, the youngster had secured bail from a local court to prevent arrest by police.

The police registered an FIR and began investigation to trace killer(s). Also in the day, the Oghi police arrested three people in different areas after seizing a large quantity of charas.

FACTORY SEALED: The district food department sealed a factory near Circuit House area here on Saturday and arrested its owner after seizing over 100 bags of fake branded spices.

Assistant food controller Shaukat Sultan told reporters that the seized spices packaged as popular brands’ were sold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

He said the factory raid was part of a crackdown launched on substandard and unhygienic food in the district on the orders of food minister Qalandar Lodhi and food department director Zubair Ahmad.

Mr Sultan said the factory owner would be produced before the price control magistrate for legal action.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2020