MANSEHRA: The Pakistan Peoples Party’s activists took to the streets here on Saturday to protest the alleged rigging in the recent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan.
“We emerged as the single largest party in the Gilgit-Baltistan polls but the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf stole the people’s votes to turn our victory into defeat, which is unacceptable to us,” PPP district president Malik Farooq told a rally outside the press club here on Saturday.
The protesters, including both men and women, marched on various roads shouting slogans against the PTI government.Former MPA Sajid Tabassum said the PPP’s protest against the election rigging would continue until the government accepted its victory.
PPP leader Mohammad Fareed said the ruling PTI first upset the people around the country by failing to control inflation and unemployment and later stole the mandate of the GB people through poll rigging.
Alleges its victory was turned into defeat by PTI
Another party leader, Saleem Qurashi, said PTI government should accept rigging in the GB elections and ensure fresh free and fair polls without delay.
CHICKEN PRICES: The chicken prices have increased rapidly here during the last couple of days.
“The rates of live chicken are at all-time high with the farm ones selling at Rs260 per kg and indigenous at Rs600 per kg,” poultry seller Mohammad Azam told reporters here on Saturday.
He said the government recently opened Afghan border causing the export of chicken mostly brought in from Punjab.
The poultry seller said the large-scale exports and prolonged pandemic-induced lockdown caused the price hike.
Another chicken seller said the shortage of farm chicken caused the price of indigenous chicken to surge.
He said indigenous chicken was never sold for over than Rs400 per kg in the region.
The residents also reported higher egg price in Mansehra district.
They said eggs were sold for Rs174 a dozen.
The poultry sellers said if the government wanted chicken and eggs prices to stabilise, it should devolve the price setting mechanism.
They said currently, the poultry association in Punjab determined egg and chicken rates even for Mansehra, which was known for large productions.
Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2020
