MANSEHRA: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s office-bearers in five union councils here on Tuesday resigned from their respective positions complaining they’re ignored by the provincial parliamentary board during election nomination for the PK-38 constituency.

“We all [union council leaders] have quit the party’s offices after our parliamentary board ignored our input about the award of PK-38 election ticket,” JUI-F emir for the Hamshirian village council Maulana Qari Mohammad Bashir told party workers and office-bearers in Khaki area here.

He said the local office-bearers proposed Mufti Kifayatullah for nomination in the constituency as he was a former MPA and was the strongest among ticket aspirants but the board named Fahad Habib as the candidate.

JUI-F general secretary Mohammad Fayyaz, who belongs to the same union council, warned the party would suffer a setback in the Feb 8 election due to the “wrong” nomination of Mr Habib, who was contesting for the key PK-38 seat for the first time.

Warn party will suffer setback in election

Tehsil councillor Obaidullah Aslam Khan, who is also the parliamentary leader of the JUI-F in Mansehra tehsil council, also resigned from his position.

He said the party’s leadership should give due importance to its workers and local body members while taking decisions.

Barkund union council emir Mufti Rabnawaz and general secretary Maulana Saeed, Malikpur union council emir Maulana Munsif and general secretary Maulana Waliullah, Shaukatabad union council emir Maulana Kabir Ahmad and general secretary Shah Ibnul Hassan and Tarangri Sabir Shah union council emir Maulana Zulfiqar Ali and general secretary Mohammad Bilal also announced resignation from their respective positions in the gathering.

JUI-F emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman had named Mufti Kifayatullah as the party’s election nominee for NA-15 Mansehra-II constituency, where PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif is also in the running.

STRIKE: Traders on Tuesday observed a complete shutter-down strike and blocked roads to traffic complaining about the shortage of doctors and other medical staff at the civil hospital in Darband.

The protesters staged a sit-in outside the hospital after marching on roads.

Holding banners and placards, they shouted slogans against the DHO and health department over a long delay in the immediate filling of hospital vacancies.

The sit-in led to traffic disruption between Darband and Oghi for long hours.

Local prayer leader Maulana Kaleem, who led the protest, said the district health officer wasn’t bothered about poor patient care and lack of facilities at the civil hospital and other health facilities in the district.

Darband tehsil council chairman Dilbar Khan said various delegations of local councillors, traders and people met district health officer Sardar Mushtaq and sought resolution of health issues, but to no avail.

“This sit-in will continue until our demands are met and vacant posts of doctors, including women, paramedics and technicians are filled,” he said.

Councillor Habib Basikhel said the people had been staging street protests for a long time but authorities hadn’t filled vacancies.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2024