CHITRAL: The runner-up candidate of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl for NA-1, Senator Talha Mehmood, continued to distribute alms among the poor on Sunday in the form of cash as well as food items in Chitral despite his defeat in the elections with a big margin of 20,000 votes.

Earlier, he led a convoy of more than 100 trucks loaded with wheat flour and other edibles from Ashriat village near Lowari tunnel to Chitral city where the trucks were being withheld by the district administration since the last one week on the demand of the candidates of other political parties.

He was greeted and garlanded heavily in every village by people, who chanted slogans in his favour for his benevolence and generosity throughout his election campaign and after the polling day as he reportedly doled out a large sum of cash and food items including wheat flour, cooking oil, confectionary items, vegetables and fruits.

During the election campaign, Senator Talha used to purchase the whole lot of general stores, confectionaries, vegetables and fruit stalls in different localities of Chitral to distribute the same among people on the occasion. He continues this practice even after the polling day of February 8.

JUI-F candidate distributes food packages among needy villagers

On Sunday, he ordered the management of two petrol pumps to fill the fuel tanks of motorcycles of youth. Hundreds of youth availed the bounty and a great rush was seen at the both the filling stations situated on the bypass road.

Hailing from Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Senator Talha Mahmood is not new to the area as he has married twice in Chitral. He distributed food package among the poor during the pandemic of coronavirus in 2019.

Talking to journalists in Chitral Press Club, he said that he would carry on his activities of social welfare in the form of providing food packages and cash to the needy as he was impressed by the poverty prevalent in Chitral.

He announced to establish the offices of Talha Mehmood Foundation in Chitral for carrying out welfare projects. He also announced to introduce micro-financing in the poverty-hit area of Chitral so that the poor including women could be given ample opportunities of self-employment and self-sustaining.

“I feel pleasure and contentment in Chitral that is why I have purchased a house here during the election campaign. I am pondering over permanently settling here,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2024