MANSEHRA: The opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has blamed internal rifts and rigging for a defeat in the recent Hazara division local body elections.

Led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the party won only four out of 22 tehsil chairman seats in the division on March 31.

Its nominees were elected in Judbah tehsil of Torghar district, Allai tehsil of Battagram district and Kandia and Dasu tehsils of Upper Kohistan district.

“We [JUI-F] stood a good chance of winning almost half of the top tehsil council slots in seven districts of Hazara division but differences within the party as well as poll rigging by the ruling PTI deprived us of success,” JUI-F provincial deputy emir and former senator Hidayatullah Shah told reporters here on Tuesday.

Mr Shah said his party’s office-bearers, who contested elections as independents in Suo tehsil of Upper Kohistan, Dor Mera and Hassanzai tehsils of Torghar and Pattan tehsil of Lower Kohistan after the denial of nominations, emerged as winners.

He alleged that the ruling PTI’s activists took away ballot boxes in Dasu tehsil of Upper Kohistan after sensing poll defeat and threw them in the Indus river prompting the Election Commission of Pakistan to withhold results.

“We are confident about our victory in the Dasu tehsil chairman election,” he said.

Mr Shah said his party would discuss the Hazara poll defeat in the next meeting.

FINED: The district administration on Tuesday fined fruit and vegetable vendors and butchers for overcharging customers.

A joint team of the district food department, police and district administration led by additional assistant commissioner Qamar Zia Malik paid surprise visits to markets in Mansehra city and its suburbs and fined shopkeepers and vendors a total of Rs9,000 fine for violating the rates fixed by the price control and review committee.

Mr Malik said three FIRs were registered against profiteers.

He said the police would crack down on such shopkeepers and vendors for legal action.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2022