LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami on Saturday demanded of the chief election commissioner to ensure legal action against Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet members for violating election rules by visiting Lower Dir on Friday despite of ban on the visit.

Addressing a news conference at Ahyaul Uloom Balambat, JI district chief Izazul Mulk said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Governor Shah Farman, federal ministers Murad Saeed, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and others violated the election rules.

Former district nazim Mohammad Rasool Khan, general secretary Arshad Zaman, Malik Sher Bahadar and others were present on the occasion.

Mr Mulk said that the rulers not only violated the election rules but also disappointed thousands of youth as they did not announce any mega developmental project for the district. He said that people of Dir and Bajaur were brought to the public meeting that the prime minister would announce development projects.

He said that JI would organise an all-party conference to ensure free, fair and impartial elections on March 31. He said that JI had planned to hold a public rally in Timergara on March 27.

Criticising the government, Mr Mulk said that foreign loans had doubled during the present regime. He said that prime minister failed to provide jobs to 10 million youth and build five million houses for homeless people in the country.

He said that PTI leadership did nothing for the overseas Pakistanis during the Covid-19 pandemic when they were passing through a difficult situation. He said that JI realised the miseries of overseas Pakistanis and helped them.

Mr Mulk said that rulers introduced use of derogatory language against their rivals and opposition leaders. He said that rulers should fulfil itheir promises made with the nation instead of lambasting the opposition.

He said that people of Lower Dir got elected four MPAs and two MNAs of PTI but they failed to initiate a single mega development project in the district. He said that development projects initiated by the JI lawmakers during the previous government had not been completed so far.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2022