MANSEHRA: Participants of a seminar here on Monday called for the creation of more provinces in the country for good governance and development.

“We have no objection to the creation of more divisions, districts and tehsils in the province but warn the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government against dividing the people along ethnic lines,” leader of the opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Mufti Kifayatullah told the Sobah Hazara Tehreek-Haqiqi event here on Monday.

The participants, including lawyers, traders and political activists, demanded of the government to declare Hazara division a province.

Mr Kifayatullah said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan should work for the unity and development of the people in eight districts of Hazara division instead of dividing them to serve the ruling PTI’s interests.

JUI-F leader asks govt to consult all political parties on the issue

“We have been striving for Hazara province for a long time. The government should engage all political parties and other stakeholders to legislate for more provinces,” he said.

On the occasion, TSH(H) convener Mushtaq Khan Swati said the chief minister should respect the demand of Hazara province.

“We won’t allow anyone to hatch conspiracies to change the geographical position of Hazara division. If the chief minister is sincere about making Abaseen division, he should create it within Hazara division,” he said.

Lawyer Iqbal Khan Tanoli said the PTI government had miserably failed to control the prices of essential goods and raising non-issues for its own survival.

Political activists and traders Mohammad Taib, Mohammad Hanif, Akhtar Naeem and Engineer Ehasnullah also addressed the seminar.

Jailed for assaulting boy: A local court on Monday handed down life imprisonment and Rs1 million fine to a man for assaulting a minor boy in 2019.

Additional sessions judge Ajmal Tahir announced the verdict after concluding the hearing in the case.

The convict, Bilal Qureshi, who is the son of a retired police officer, was present in the courtroom when the judge announced the verdict.

According to the FIR lodged by the Khaki police under sections 377 of PPC and section 53 of Child Protection Act, Bilal Qureshi had kidnapped a five-year-old boy from Maswal area and assaulted him.

WARNING: The district administration has warned it will crack down on the wedding halls not ensuring the vaccination of their employees against coronavirus.

The warning was issued by additional assistant commissioner Hasrat Khan during a visit to wedding halls here and on the suburbs.

The accompanying health officials checked anti-coronavirus vaccination cards of the wedding hall employees and administered vaccine to the unvaccinated ones.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has initiated a consultative process to finalise the names of its candidates for mayor slots in five tehsils of Mansehra district.

PTI district general secretary Taimur Saleem Khan Swati told reporters here on Monday that the party had empowered its tehsil and women cabinets and workers to name mayor candidates in Oghi, Mansehra, Balakot, Baffa-Pakhal and Darband tehsils.

He said women could also be among candidates.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2021