MANSEHRA, Aug 4: A trader on Saturday drowned in the Kunhar River in Balakot area.

People said Mohammad Ajab was drowned by the tidal wave when he was cooling himself off in the river in Podinal Bala area on a humid, sunny day.

They said they later fished out the body and handed it over to the trader’s family for burial.

According to them, the district administration recently banned swimming in the river for monsoon season.

People said three men had already drowned in the river over the last one month.

Khursheed Zaman, a local resident, said people flouted the Kunhar River swimming ban without let or hindrance.

He said people showed up to beat the intense heat but most of them didn’t know swimming properly and thus, becoming vulnerable to drowning.

He urged people to avoid swimming in the river in the monsoon season.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan has summoned the party’s Mansehra district convener, Javed Swati, to explain position for a recent scuffle among workers.

PTI leaders from Mansehra, including Sardar Khan and Zargul Khan, met Mr Imran in Islamabad on Friday and apprised him of the scuffle.

Mr Sardar told the party chief that a group led by Azam Swati in Mansehra falsely accused him of corruption. He also claimed that Mr Swati violated party discipline by canvassing for himself in NA-20 constituency of Mansehra without the leadership’s approval.

Mr Sardar said the PTI chief also sought explanation from the district convener for termination of the basic membership of two local leaders.

“Under the party rules, no office-bearer except central chairman or general secretary can terminate or suspend the membership of any worker or leader,” he said.

During the meeting, Mr Imran urged leaders and workers in Mansehra to end differences and jointly work for the party.