MANSEHRA: Alleging rigging in the recent local body elections, leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz retired Captain Mohammad Safdar has insisted that the electoral manipulation and cheating led to the defeat of his party’s candidate for the Oghi tehsil council’s top slot.

“Our [PML-N] nominee Wajid Ali Shah was winning the [tehsil chairman elections] until the assistant commissioner changed poll results at the last minute leading to the victory of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s candidate,” Mr Safdar told reporters in Oghi area here on Monday.

Accompanied by Mr Wajid, the PML-N leader demanded investigation by the Election Commission of Pakistan into poll rigging.

Mr Safdar, who is the son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said his party had formally sought vote recounting and would move the court against rigged elections.

Safdar says his party will move court for relief

Meanwhile, Oghi tehsil chairman-elect Nawabzada Hassam of the PTI told reporters that the residents had rejected the PML-N in local body elections.

“I and an independent candidate won the second phase of local body polls in Darband and Oghi tehsils, which are part of the constituency of former MNA retired Captain Safdar, and therefore, he [Safdar] is not accepting the PML-N’s defeat and is falsely alleging rigging,” he said.

JOINED: PML-N leader and former MPA Sardar Zahoor has claimed that chairmen-elect of over 100 village and neighbourhood councils in Mansehra district have joined his party.

The council chairmen belong to Mansehra, Balakot, Oghi, Darband and Baffa-Pakhal tehsils, Mr Zahoor told reporters here.

Meanwhile, Mansehra tehsil chairman-elect Sheikh Shafee of the PML-N has said he will form a committee to recommend allocation of development funds.

He told reporters that though Mansehra was the district’s headquarters, it was short of water supply and had limited space in graveyards.

The council chairman said the tehsil government would prioritised the resolution of those issues to the relief of people.

SASTA BAZAARS: The administrations of Lower Kohistan and Torghar districts opened Ramazan sasta bazaars to provide the residents with essential items at subsidised rates during the current month of fasting.

Lower Kohistan deputy commissioner Shakeel Ahmad inaugurated a sasta bazaar in Pattan, the district headquarters, visited stalls and asked vendors and visitors about prices of sugar, ghee, pulse, flour wheat and other commodities.

Mr Ahmad said a control room had been established for action over shortage of goods and profiteering.

The Torghar administration established a sasta bazaar in Judbah, the district headquarters.

Assistant district food controller Shamsur Qamar visited the bazaar and checked the prices of essential commodities.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2022