SWABI: Pakistani Tehreek-i-Insaf suffered a blow on Sunday when members of a local jirga in Marghuz village quit it and announced joining Jamaat-i-Islami over the party’s ‘failed’ policies.

Marghuz is a native village of former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, with political observers saying internal differences and rivalries had weakened the PTI in the area.

Jirga members Sarwar Khan Lala, Gohar Ali, Akbar Syed and an influential figure from Marghuz Wand area, Mubarak Khan along with their supporters have parted ways with PTI.

Led by Mubarak Khan, the elders have also met the JI district emir Mufti Maulana Murad Ahmed.

The elders said PTI leadership made only empty pledges and misled the people during its decade-long rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

TREE PLANTATION: A tree plantation campaign to make Swabi green and clean was launched on Sunday. A colourful ceremony was held in this regard in Topi, where director Environmental Protection Agency, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nazia Khattak was the chief guest.

Officials said that a million saplings would be planted by various departments, including the forest department, during the drive. They said a proper mechanism would be devised to keep watering the saplings for one year.

On the occasion, Ms Khattak said it was responsibility of every citizen to plant saplings every year to keep the environment clean and maintain natural beauty.

Meanwhile, a tree plantation campaign was also launched at the Ghulam Ishfaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.

Rector GIK Institute Prof Fazal Ahmed Khalid was the chief guest at the launching ceremony.

Prof Khalid said the horticulture department and the student societies had chalked out a strategy for the tree plantation drive.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2023