MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz parliamentary secretary for interior in the National Assembly Mohammad Sajjad Awan on Saturday said his party would only support the creation of the Southern Punjab province if Hazara was included in the list of the proposed federating units.

“Our [PML-N’s] efforts led to the formation of the National Assembly’s parliamentary committee on the creation of more provinces. We are likely to garner support for the proposed Hazara province,” Mr Awan told reporters here.

The parliamentary secretary said federal ministers Rana Sanaullah and Ahsan Iqbal, MNA Javed Murtaza Abbasi and PML-N parliamentary leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Sardar Mohammad Yusuf played an important role for the initiative that was to serve the cause of Hazara province.

He called for more provinces in the province and said the PML-N was actively working for it in and out of parliament.

PML-N MNA claims PTI lawmakers support call for Hazara province

Mr Awan said the PTI lawmakers from Hazara division also supported the call for the status of province for their region.

LG REPRESENTATIVES: The chairmen of the village and neighbourhood councils on Saturday lauded the government’s decision to hold elections for the tehsil council presiding officers across the province.

Basharat Ali Swati, who heads the Safada village council, told reporters here that a year had passed since the installation of tehsil governments in the province but those local bodies were still without funds due to a delay in elections for their presiding officers.

Accompanied by the village and neighbourhood council chairmen, Mr Swati said it was a welcome move by the LG department to ask the Election Commission of Pakistan to appoint returning officers to hold elections for tehsil council presiding officers in the province.

“We hope that the electoral exercise will be completed within a week or so leading to the release of development funds, honorarium expenses and other money withheld for almost a year,” he said.

Chairman of the Lassan Thakral village council Malik Mumtaz said a long delay in polls for presiding officers showed the failure of the local government system.

Meanwhile, the candidates have begun campaign for elections in five tehsils of Mansehra district.

HELD: The Shinkiari police on Saturday arrested four men for killing a boy and injuring his mother during robbery last month.

The arrest of Mohammad Kashif, Mohammad Badal, Mohammad Amir and Mehtab Shah came during raids in Dodial, Balag and Barkund areas, according to senior superintendent of police (investigation) Hafiz Janis Khan.

He told reporters that stolen goods, valuables and a motorcycle were recovered from the robbers.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2022