PESHAWAR, Oct 17: District nazims and councillors took oath of office in 19 districts of the NWFP on Monday. Councillors and nazims-elect in the quake-hit districts of Abbottabad, Battagram, Mansehra, Shangla and Kohistan will take oath on Oct 19.

In Peshawar, city district nazim Haji Ghulam Ali and nazims of four town councils and councillors, including women, took oath at the Nishtar Hall.

District Returning Officer Shahjehan Akhunzada administered the oath.

Ghulam Ali, a joint candidate of PPPP and JUI (F), had defeated Haroon Bilour of the ANP.

Talking to journalists after the ceremony, Mr Ali vowed to end encroachment and give a beautiful look to the provincial capital.

He said that the newly-elected district government would legislate to streamline new construction in and around the city.

He said he would provide clean drinking water to people on a priority basis and execute the proposed water supply scheme from the Warsak reservoir.

He said that the district government would construct underpasses at various points in the city to facilitate the traffic flow.

M. Sadaqat from Haripur adds: Newly-elected district nazim Yusuf Ayub Khan has pledged to ensure basic health care, potable water and road infrastructure in Haripur.

This he said while talking to newsmen after taking oath of the office of district nazim.

District returning officer Syed Afsar Shah administered the oath. Fifteen women and four male district councillors also took oath.

Tehsil nazim Iftekhar Ahmad Khan and 12 women councillors and four male councillors, who had returned successful on special seats, were administered oath by senior civil judge Haripur Tahir Mehmood Khan.

Yousaf Ayub Khan said that since most of the district lacked basic amenities like piped water, roads and healthcare, he would focus his attention on provision of these amenities.

“The people would soon feel a real change as I am committed to transforming the district into a model one,” he said.

Muqaddam Khan adds from Swabi: The newly-elected district nazim, tehsil nazims of Swabi and Lahore and nazims, naib nazims and councillors of 55 union councils were sworn-in here.

Sheram Khan Taraqai and Haji Haneef Gul Jadoon had been elected district and tehsil nazims of Swabi.

Zahiruddin adds from Chitral: District nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah took oath of his office administered by district and sessions judge Saleem Jan Khan here on Monday.

The new nazim told his supporters that health and education would be his priorities. He added that police and thana culture will be changed to make it people-friendly.

KOHAT: Two more nazims and naib nazims were barred from taking oath of their offices by an election tribunal judge on Monday.

They are Riaz Shakir of union council Shakardarra, urban, and his naib nazim, and Arif advocate of union council Nasrat Khel and his deputy. The results in these UCs had been challenged by the runner-ups alleging bogus voting.

The election tribunal judge Mah Talat had earlier stopped nazim of Lachi, Fawad Khan, from taking oath on a writ petition filed by his runner-up.