Balakot nazim, naib nazim to face no-confidence today

MANSEHRA: The tehsil nazim and naib nazim of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) could not persuade own party members over the no-confidence motion to be taken by the council today.

Sabeel Ahmad, the secretary of tehsil council Balakot, had summoned session to take up the no-confidence motion tabled by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) councillor Ibrahim Ahmad Shah and PML-N councillor Liaqat Khattana against Nazim Rustam Khan and Naib Nazim Abdul Qudus last week.

Both the nazim and naib nazim held talks with PML-N dissident group led by Khattana to abstain from polling on the no-confidence motion but they refused and made it clear that they would come on their commitments with opposition councillors.

Rustam Khan and Abdul Qudus had been elected to offices of nazim and naib nazim.

Sources in the PML-N told this correspondent that an upsetting development might also take place before polling on the no-confidence motion on Monday.

PTI councillor Ibrahim Ahmad Shah alias Ami Shah, who is expected to hold office of the tehsil nazim if no-confidence motion succeeds, told reporters that both the treasury and opposition benches had decided to replace the nazim and naib nazim.

“Almost three years have passed since installation of local governments in province, but the tehsil government couldn’t even execute a single annual development programme so far,” said Shah.

He said that of the 19 councillors in Balakot council, they enjoyed the support of 17 councillors.