MANSEHRA: The Balakot police on Saturday arrested an office-bearer of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, who is also a youth councillor in the Hassa village council, for treason.

A team led by SHO Tariq Khan arrested Najam Ali from Hassa area and shifted him to the police station.

“We have arrested the PTI activist for posting anti-state and anti-army content on his social media accounts,” SHO Khan said.

He said the accused was arrested under sections 120-B, 123-A/501 of Pakistan Penal Code and presented him before the local court. He said the judge sent him on 14-day judicial remand.

The SHO said the accused also used to instigate people against the army’s top brass.

“We got details of the social media accounts of the accused, verified them through relevant departments before arresting him,” Mr Khan said.

Meanwhile, the residents on Saturday demanded of the Mansehra tehsil municipal administration to remove encroachments along the Karakoram Highway in the bazaars to ensure smooth traffic flow and movement of shoppers.

“The people, particularly women and children, cannot freely move for shopping as shopkeepers and vendors have occupied footpaths and roadsides in the bazaars,” Ajmal Khan, a local resident, said.

He said footpaths on the Abbottabad, Shinkiari, Kashmir and Lari Adda roads were occupied by vendors.

He accused the Mansehra TMA of giving a free hand to shopkeepers and vendors to occupy roads and footpaths, creating hurdles in smooth flow of traffic.

Another local, Mubarak Shah said the TMA failed to launch an anti-encroachment drive despite announcements made many times in the past.

The people of Shinkiari and its suburbs also complained about traffic mess on the KKH due to encroachments.

Zahid Khan, a local, said the Baffa-Pakhal TMA and National Highway Authority had served notices on owners of buildings and shops, whose properties came in the right-of-way of the road, but they didn’t pay heed to the notices.

He demanded of the authorities to launch an anti-encroachment drive immediately.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2023