APC in Mansehra announce support to Azadi March

MANSEHRA: An all parties’ conference (APC) here on Saturday announced to take part in Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Azadi March.

“I am thankful to leaders of all political parties who announced their support to the Azadi March,” stated Mufti Kifayatullah, the district chief of JUI-F, while speaking to reporters after the conference here.

The divisional president of Pakistan People’s Party Malik Waheed, district president Malik Farooq, general secretary of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Niaz Ahmad Niazi, district president of Awami National Party Sarwar Khan, and district head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan Maulana Abdul Sattar Qadri and others attended the conference.

“I hope more than 100,000 people to join us in Azadi March as people are fed up with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government’s policies,” said Kifayatullah. He said that inflation and unemployment were on the rise and people were being laid off in public and private sectors because of economic crisis in the country. Speaking on the occasion, Malik Waheed said that the leadership of mainstream political parties had been put behind bars in the name of so-called accountability. “The Azadi March may compel the prime minister to dissolve assemblies and pave the way for the fresh general elections in the country,” he added.

Snowfall triggers road blockade in Kaghan valley

Upper parts of Hazara division received the first snowfall of the winter, blocking Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road to traffic on Saturday.

The snowfall, which started Friday evening, continued intermittently the entire night and turned the weather cold.

The traffic between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa via Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road was suspended following snowfall.

According to National Highway Authority, the road was blocked from Babusar Top up to Jalkhad.

“I was on way to Mansehra from Dassu, Kohistan, via [MNJ] road but couldn’t proceed ahead along with hundreds of other passengers travelling through dozens of vehicles from Babusar Top and returned back to our previous destinations,” Saddam Shah, a passenger, told reporters.

“Though the road is blocked owing to snowfall and vehicles couldn’t move ahead, Karakoram Highway is open for traffic as usual,” said Shah.

National Games torch reaches KP

The National Games torch has reached Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Gilgit-Baltistan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is going to host 33rd National Games in Peshawar from November 9 this year. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association President Aqil Shah, Member Provincial Assembly Ahmad Hussain Shah and former Olympian Arshad Hussain received the torch at Naran in Kaghan valley. The school girls and boys had also assembled at the main road in Naran to welcome the torch relay and presented them with bouquets. The National Games relay journey, which started from the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah mausoleum in Karachi on October 6 this year, would culminate its journey at Pak-Afghan border in Torkham.

“I am thankful to provincial Minister of Sports and Tourism Muhammad Atif Khan, who sponsored the National Games being held in Peshawar after nine years and earmarked an amount of Rs330 million,” Aqil Shah told a reception in Naran.

He said that it was a great event being held in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.