TIMERGARA: The workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf said here on Sunday that they would besiege the houses of those local leaders, who would contest the next general election as independent candidates.

They said it during a workers’ convention held at Timergara rest house ground with PTI former district president Malik Bashir Khan in the chair. The workers of the party from Adenzai, Talash, Timergara, Khall, Maidan and Samar Bagh attended the convention.

Addressing the function, Bashir Khan, Fakhruz Zaman, Shafiullah Khan, Zakirullah, Syed Alam Shah and others asked the workers to discourage those people, who wanted to weaken the party.

Ask leadership to end differences in local chapter of party

“After the merger of Dir state into Pakistan, JI ruled Lower Dir since 1970,” said Bashir Khan. He added that despite its long rule, JI did nothing for welfare and development of common people.

He admitted that there was no sign of ‘change’ in Dir as JI was doing traditional politics of posting, transfer and exploiting people. Mr Khan said that PTI parliamentary board would issue tickets to candidates for the upcoming elections. He said that district president of the party was not entitled to issue tickets.

The PTI workers asked the leadership to end internal differences in the party before the elections. They announced to besiege the houses of those leaders, who wanted to contest the next general elections as independent candidates. About 600 workers attended the convention but Ali Shah Mishwani group did not turn up.

A similar convention, few days ago, had elected Mr Ali Shah as PTI district president, however, Bashir group had rejected his election.

The PTI regional president and provincial minister, Mahmood Khan, on January 1 had dissolved all the party’s organisations in Lower Dir.

ACCIDENT: An activist of Jamaat-i-Islami was killed while three others were injured when their car plunged into a deep ravine in Khairabad area here on Sunday.

Sources said that the four friends were coming back from a condolence when they met the accident. JI activist Mohammad Rafiq was killed while his friends Samiullah of Battan, Sadiq Akbar of Tazagram and Liaqatul Mulk of Shahabad were injured in the accident.

The injured were taken to tehsil headquarters hospital in Chakdara where their condition was stated to be out of danger.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2018