BAJAUR: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker Gul Dad Khan on Saturday faced strong criticism from local political and social circles for calling the party workers “animals”.

The MNA had called the party activists “animals” while addressing a public meeting the other day. He, however, did not explain the reasons for the remark.

Soon after the MNA’s speech went viral on social media, people from all walks of life, including political and social circles, started condemning the lawmaker’s comments as wrong, unacceptable and against the dignity of human beings.

Through their posts on social media, political and social circles slammed the lawmaker saying they did not expect the PTI MNA to use such a disgraceful language for the party activists.

PML-N provincial vice-president Shahabuddin Khan, party’s Bajaur general secretary Israr Khan, PPP president Aurangzeb, ANP general secretary Nisar Khan Baz, JUI-F’s Maulana Masihur Rahman, JI’s Qari Abdul Majeed and others called upon the MNA to apologise for his remarks.

Meanwhile, Gul Dad Khan in a video message posted on his Facebook page on Sunday clarified his remarks saying he did not mean to insult the party workers. He said he used the word just to appreciate them.

However, he said some political and social activists had played up remark to hurt the sentiments of PTI workers.

PROTEST: The Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union on Friday protested the proposed privatisation of the Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) and announced that it won’t allow the government to sell off the power utility.

Scores of Tesco workers participated in the protest held outside the company’s offices in the Civil Colony, Khar.

The union’s Bajaur chapter chairman Shafiqur Rehman, general secretary Abdul Jabbar Khan and others said privatisation of the company was against the interests of employees and customers. They urged the government to withdraw the Tesco privatisation plan.

Meanwhile, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has demanded of the authorities to allow the ambulances to use the main road between the Khar town and the district headquarters hospital to transport critical patients.

JUI-F Khar tehsil chief Maulana Ziaullah Jan told reporters that the road had been blocked for public transport since 2008 despite the fact that normalcy had returned to the district.

The JUI-F leader said the bypass road connecting Khar town with rest of the district remained mostly blocked due to plying of heavy vehicles.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2021