MANSEHRA: A jirga on Monday made a draw for its candidate for the upcoming election to its only National Assembly seat in Kohistan region.

Maulana Kareemdad, chairman of Lower Kohistan district’s dispute resolution council, was selected in a meeting in Pattan, the district headquarters of Lower Kohistan district.

The Pattan Ittehad called the meeting to decide about the candidate for the NA-12 constituency, which is spread over Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts.

Representatives of four major Lower Kohistan tribes, including Haiderkhel, Khushukhel, Serkhankhel and Kayalkhel, attended the meeting.

Mr Kareemdad, who heads Lower Kohistan’s dispute resolution council, is the son of former MNA late Maulana Abdul Haleem.

Maulana Kareemdad and Sarfaraz Khan represented the Haiderkhel tribe, former MPA Dildar Khan and former district police officer Rasool Shah the Khushukhel tribe, Azhar Khan and Ziaul Haq the Serkhankhel tribe and Malik Didar Khan and Malik Rasool Shah the Kayalkhel tribe.

The jirga will meet again today (Tuesday) to decide about its election candidate for PK-32 by a draw.

Nominees of the Pattan Ittehad, which was formed ahead of the 2013 general elections, including Sarzamin Khan and Maulana Abdul Haq, were elected MNA (NA-12) and MPA (PK-32), respectively.

Its candidates, however, lost the 2018 elections due to differences among tribes.

SNOWFALL: The district administration on Monday closed the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road to traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan after a snowfall.

“Passenger coaches and other vehicles should use the Karakoram Highway for going to Gilgit-Baltistan after the closure of the MNJ Road to all sorts of traffic from Kaghan to Babusar Top,” read a circular issued by the deputy commissioner.

The restriction comes as people continue to go beyond Kaghan town despite heavy snowfall risking their lives.

All ways to the upper parts of Kaghan were blocked after it snowed heavily early last November.

KILLED: A dilapidated suspension bridge over the Kunhar River collapsed in Kaghan Town here on Monday killing a pedestrian.

The 18-year-old girl fell into the river after wooden planks of the bridge broke.

The residents said they requested authorities many times for the bridge’s repairs, but to no avail.

They said search for the body was suspended in the evening.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023