MANSEHRA: Federal parliamentary secretary for interior, MNA Mohammad Sajjad Awan on Sunday claimed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would sweep the upcoming general elections in the Hazara division.

“Our party has already launched electioneering and would sweep the elections in Hazara and rest of the country,” he insisted while speaking at a public meeting held in Dodial area in connection with the inauguration of gas distribution lines here.

Prime minister’s assistant Sardar Shahjehan Yusuf and Baffa-Pakhal tehsil chairman Sardar Shah Khan were also present.

Mr Awan, who is the elder brother of Captain retired Mohammad Safdar, the son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, also claimed the coalition government led by PML-N had steered the country out of the economic and political turmoil.

Sajjad Awan says govt steered country out of economic, political turmoil

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a visit to the area had announced mega development projects, which he said would put Mansehra on the path of prosperity.

He said the PML-N government had also earmarked funds for the construction of Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Motorway.

On the occasion, Shahjehan Yusuf said the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had scrapped mega development projects launched by PML-N in the Hazara division. “We have revived all such projects to benefit people,” he said.

RAIDS CONDEMNED: The business community in Kaghan valley on Sunday decided to observe a shutter-down strike on August 11 against arrests of hoteliers by the Balakot tehsil administration.

“Kaghan valley is a seasonal hill station, where hoteliers and traders have invested billions of rupees to run their businesses only for three months, but they are being disgraced by the police and the tehsil administration through unjustified raids and arrests in the garb of cleanliness and extra room charges,” Seth Matiullah, president of hoteliers’ association, told reporters after a meeting held in Naran and largely attended by the business community.

He said the participants denounced arrests of hoteliers by the police during raids carried out by assistant commissioner, Balakot, Basharat Bibi.

“We are not criminals, we are respectable citizens and largely contributing to the country’s prosperity through direct and indirect taxes,” he said.

Another office-bearer Mohammad Naveed said the business community would observe a shutter down strike on August 11, and also hold a protest rally against the raids and arrests. “The hoteliers are charging reasonably from tourists and maintaining cleanliness, but even then raids are continuing and traders are being fined heavily,” he said.

Another officer-bearer Hussain Deen said the dilapidated condition of the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road and roads linking Naran with Saiful Muluk Lake and other tourist attractions had already shattered business activities in the area.

Mohammad Farooq, a hotelier, said their staffers were picked by the police as if they were terrorists. He said a delegation of traders would meet the caretaker chief minister to apprise him about the ‘grave’ situation.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2023