MANSEHRA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf divisional president in Hazara Babar Saleem Swati has said if the district administration didn’t allow his party to hold a public meeting in the run-up to the Feb 8 elections, he would move the Peshawar High Court for relief.

“We are optimistic that the district administration won’t create hurdles to our party’s power show here but if it doesn’t grant us approval for it, we will take it to the court of law,” Mr Swati told reporters here.

Accompanied by PTI-backed contender in NA-14 Mansehra-I Saleem Imran, he said the district administration allowed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to hold an election rally that was addressed by its leader, Nawaz Sharif, so the PTI wanted a similar treatment.

Mr Swati said his party had fielded former opposition leader in the provincial assembly Shahzada Gustasab Khan in the NA-15 constituency of Mansehra to challenge PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party’s Zargul Khan and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s Mufti Kifayatullah.

He said party’s nominees for two national and five provincial assembly seats would win elections “overwhelmingly.”

The PTI leader, who is contesting election in PK-37 Mansehra-II,visited Abbottabad Road, Shinkiari Road and Kashmir Road along with Saleem Imran and sought votes from the business community.

The additional session judge has granted bail to Babar Saleem Swati until Jan 31.

His arrest was ordered by deputy commissioner Bilal Shahid Rao underSection 3(1) of the Maintenance of Public Order earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party provincial general secretary Shujah Salim Khan has said that only party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari could steer the country out of economic and other crises.

He told a public meeting in Balakot tehsil here that the PPP would form the next governments in the centre and provinces after sweeping the Feb 8 elections with Mr Bilawal being the prime minister.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2024

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