MANSEHRA: A disgruntled group of thePakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf onWednesday announcedthat it would field candidates the tehsil mayor slots in Mansehra district during the second phase of the local body elections.

“We, the die-hard activists, facilitated a patch-up between railways minister Azam Khan Swati and local MPA Babar Saleem Swati but the two got their blue-eyed aspirants fielded for mayor polls in Mansehra, Balakot, Oghi, Baffa-Pakhal and Darband tehsils. This act of injustice is unacceptable, so we will field own candidates in the elections,” former PTI general secretary Shahid Rafique told reporters after the group’sWorkers Conventionhere.

The event was attended among others by former information secretary of the Hazara PTI divisional governing body Ajmal Khan Swati, former district president Dr Ashfaq, former Labour Wing president Rasheed Khan, and others.

Mr Rafique said the group had finalised his name for the Baffa-Pakhal mayor election, Ajmal Khan Swati or Dr Ashfaq for Mansehra mayor’s, Mushtaq Khan Swati for Balakot mayor’s and Habib Basikhel for Oghi mayor’s.

“Our candidates stand a good chance of winning mayor elections and if they lose, nominees of the PTI lawmakers will also suffer defeat,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Aawaz district forum has said it will motivate women and members of religious minorities to contest the coming elections for the seats reserved for them in village and neighbourhood councils in Mansehra district.

“The women and members of minorities should actively participate in the upcoming local government elections as candidates to fight for their rights promised in the Constitution,” chief executive officer of Saibaan Development Organisation Sahibzada Jawad Alfaizi told the Aawaz district forum during a meeting here on Wednesday.

Coordinator of the district social welfare department Sajjad Ahmad said the seats reserved for minorities in almost 194 village and neighbourhood councils lied vacant in Mansehra district.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2022