PK-30 by-election: Plea seeking PTI contender disqualification rejected

MANSEHRA: The returning officer has rejected an application seeking disqualification of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Ahmad Hussain Shah for by-election being held in PK-30 on February 26.

Muhammad Nazeer, who is stated to be a diehard supporter of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) aspirant Mazhar Ali Qasim, had moved an application to Returning Officer Muhammad Ishaq Khan Marwat against Ahmad Hussain Shah. He stated that Ahmad Hussain Shah had not paid the agriculture tax for the last three consecutive years. Nazeer alleged that the PTI contender had also concealed his assets in his nomination papers. However, the complainant couldn’t produce any evidence in support of his allegations against Ahmad Hussain Shah when the returning officer questioned him. “We are in politics to serve people of Balakot, who are still facing a plethora of problems because of socioeconomic effects of 2005 earthquake devastation,” Nadar Khan, the spokesman of PTI contender, told reporters. Also in the day, the PML-N launched a formal election campaign by holding a public gathering at the Balakot town. Former federal ministers Sardar M Yousuf, Qasim Shah, former Member Provincial Assembly Mian Ziaur Rehman and PML-N contender Mazhar Ali Qasim addressed the gathering.

The speakers claimed that they would sweep the upcoming by-election. The by-poll campaign in constituency PK-30, which had fallen vacant after the disqualification of PML-N MPA Ziaur Rehman for holding fake seminary degree by apex court last year, is gaining momentum with every passing day.

PTI-led Torghar distt govt stops salaries to various depts: The PTI-led district government in Torghar district has stopped salaries to employees of various public departments owing to alleged poor performance.

“All government departments are supposed to serve masses and those who failed to come up to the expectations of people are liable to be taken to justice. The salaries of the employees of various departments have been withheld for poor performance,” Dilroz Khan, the district nazim, told reporters on Sunday. A meeting, which was chaired by district nazim Dilroz Khan and attended, among others, by deputy commissioner and heads of govt departments reviewed the performance of all departments. “We have decided to stop payment of salaries to employees of agriculture, soil conservation, fisheries and water management departments and also warned them to perform duties honestly to avoid further action,” said the nazim. He said district officer of the Social Welfare Department had also been changed and district food controller was warned to show his performance to avoid strict legal action. The district nazim said that performance of the health and education departments was termed satisfactory and heads of both departments were praised in the meeting. He said that Torghar district was very less developed even after getting status of a settled district in 2011. The district nazim said that if public departments wouldn’t work for the uplift of people, how they could see a change in their lives.