MANSEHRA: The tehsil council, which met here after almost a year on Tuesday, descended into chaos over the election of the presiding officer.

Council chairman Sheikh Mohammad Shafee had convened the meeting to discuss the National Finance Commission Award and the due share in it for tehsil governments. However, most councillors from his party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, were absent, allowing the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s members to dominate the proceedings.

The session, which began hours behind schedule, was taken over by the joint opposition’s members after Mr Shafee announced its adjournment due to a lack of quorum.

Opposition members, who shouted slogans in protest, rejected Mr Shafee’s decision and unanimously appointed Malik Mohammad Mumtaz Malik as the presiding officer through a show of hands.

Session called to discuss NFC Award, tehsil govts’ share in it

They also shouted slogans in support of detained PTI founder Imran Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, demanding the former’s immediate release from the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

The newly-elected presiding officer thanked the joint opposition, which included representatives from PTI, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan People’s Party and independent councillors.

“The government should ensure the timely release of development funds to local governments, as this grassroots system has failed to provide civic services and amenities over the past three years,” Mr Malik said.

Councillor Basharat Ali Swati urged the federal government to release funds to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the electricity royalty and NFC Award.

“This forum, through a resolution, called for the immediate release of the electricity royalty and NFC award from the federal government so that funds can be allocated to local governments,” he stated.

CIGARETTES DESTROYED: The regional tax office on Tuesday destroyed around 450,000 sticks of illegal, non-duty-paid and smuggled cigarettes.

“Our crackdown on illicit tobacco traders is well underway, and we set ablaze confiscated cigarettes worth over Rs16.6 million,” chief commissioner of the Regional Tax Office Abbottabad and Mardan Farhat Qayyum told reporters at Thakra Stadium here.

Mr Qayyum said the smugglers and traders involved in the illegal cigarette trade had also caused a financial loss of Rs7.9 million to the national exchequer in sales tax and federal excise duty, after smuggling confiscated cigarettes worth Rs16.6 million.

He said the RTO Abbottabad, through this crackdown, had demonstrated the federal government’s commitment to combating tax evasion and illicit trade, which caused significant financial losses to the country’s gross domestic product and revenue.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2025