BAJAUR: A judicial magistrate here on Friday sent former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Gul Dad Khan to jail on a five-day judicial remand.

The former lawmaker, who was arrested by police from his home in Bilal Abad area on Wednesday evening in multiple cases, was produced before the judicial magistrate in the district courts in Khar.

After the brief hearing, the judicial magistrate sent the lawmaker to Khar jail, rejecting the police’s request for his further physical custody.

Meanwhile, sources in the PTI told Dawn on Friday that they had submitted a bail plea in the local court, seeking Gul Dad’s release. They said the court had fixed Saturday (today) for the case’s hearing.

The sources said they were hopeful the court would set the former PTI lawmaker free as he was implicated in ‘bogus cases’.

Meanwhile, the much-awaited office of the Khar tehsil council chairman was opened here on Friday.

Deputy commissioner Mohammad Anwarul Haq inaugurated the office in Civil Colony, Khar, during a ceremony.

Officials of the district administration, political and social activists and local body members attended the ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, deputy commissioner Anwarul Haq said the opening of the office would help empower the local government system in the district.

He said it was the district administration’s proposal to have the office of Khar tehsil council chairman set up in the Civil Colony, which houses the administrative offices.

On the occasion, tehsil council chairman Said Badshah, who is also the deputy chief of JUI-F’s local chapter, said establishment of the office would pave way for resolving the issues of local body members.

He said the office would also help keep close contact with officials of all departments in the district as most of offices were located in the Civil Colony.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023