MANSEHRA: Pakistan Peoples Party on Sunday began re-organising its divisional, district and tehsil chapters across Hazara division to include women in leadership roles.

“We have reorganised our divisional chapter and appointed a woman as senior vice-president. The same model will now be followed at the district and tehsil levels in eight districts of Hazara,” Malik Mohammad Farooq, PPP’s divisional president in Hazara, told reporters here.

He said the party’s central chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, had directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter to ensure women’s representation in all tiers of the organisation.

“We have inducted Naila Shahzad from Haripur as the senior vice-president in our divisional body, along with Waheed Afzal Golra from Mansehra and Syed Jafar Hussain Shah from Abbottabad in consultation with the party’s provincial president and general secretary,” Mr Farooq said.

Leader says divisional body includes a woman as senior vice-president

He added that, in the first phase, the district and tehsil bodies of Haripur, Mansehra and Abbottabad would be reorganised to accommodate women workers in key positions.

“Women constitute over 50 per cent of the population, and excluding them from leadership roles would mean depriving both the country and the party of their potential to bring positive social change,” he said.

Mr Farooq further stated that in the second phase, the district and tehsil bodies in Torghar, Battagram, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas would also be made inclusive of women’s participation.

“We have revised our political strategy for the upcoming general elections, and this structural reorganisation reflects our commitment to inclusivity and empowerment of women within the party,” he added.

The PPP’s divisional president said that workers were actively pursuing chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s motive in every nook and corner, and now women activists and workers would help them in disseminating that message of socioeconomic change.

SHOT DEAD: A woman allegedly shot dead her husband, who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia on leave, over a domestic dispute here on Sunday.

“We have arrested the accused woman who opened fire on her husband following a quarrel,” Sub-Inspector Fayyaz Khan, the investigation officer in the case, told reporters.

The man was taken to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. After medico-legal formalities, the body was handed over to the family.

According to the FIR lodged by the victim’s son, Mohammad Hassan, his father, Abdul Rasheed, had been employed in Saudi Arabia and returned home last week to spend time with his family.

“My parents often argued and accused each other of various things, but we used to resolve the matter amicably,” the complainant said, adding the family woke up to gunshots and found his father lying in a pool of blood.

He alleged that his mother, Nisreen Bibi, had shot his father to avenge a previous argument.

Police registered a case under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and arrested the suspect.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2025